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Home My WebLink AboutStaff Report 176-05City of Palo Alto City Manager's Report TO: HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL ATTN: POLICY AND SERVICES COMMITTEE FROM: CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: COMMUNITY SERVICES DATE: MARCH 15, 2005 CMR: 176:05 SUBJECT: CRITERIA AND PROCESS FOR RECOGNIZING INDIVIDUALS ON A WALL OF HONOR DISPLAY (NEW POLICy) RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the Policy and Services Committee recommend. that Council adopt a policy for the recognition of individuals on a 'Wall of Honor' display. BACKGROUND On March 9, 2004, the Policy and Services Committee considered a proposal to revise the City- owned Park and Facility Naming Policy (CMR 169:04), and as part of the recommendations accepted a staff suggestion to consider the creation of an alternative form of civic recognition through a 'Wall of Honor'. On April 12, 2004, Council adopted the recommendations of the Policy and Services Committee (CMR 217:04), and directed staff to pursue the concept of a 'Wall of Honor' . The intent of the proposed policy is to guide the selection of individuals to be recognized by inclusion on such a permanent display in a fair, objective and consistent manner. DISCUSSION At Council direction, staff researched appropriate alternatives to the current naming policies and designed a central monument for the recognition of people who have made significant contributions to the cOnp1lunity. Recognizing that few individuals, though deserving of significant recognition for their service to the community, are likely to qualify to have a facility named· in their honor, a community "Wall of Honor" is proposed. The cities of San Jose, Burlingame, Foster City, and Rancho Palos Verdes have established criteria for recognizing individuals on a wall of honor. Such a tribute is a permanent honor, consisting of a marker describing the honoree's accomplishments, to be placed in the Civic Center. Generally, these cities require that the person honored have contributed ten or more years of service to the community; have a positive impact on the lives of City residents; be considered an appropriate role model; have made a significant impact on t4~ continuation and/or enhancement of established community programs; and/or have created new opportunities for the community through new facilities or programs. CMR 176:05 Page 1 of5 Documentation of Past History and Justification for Name Selection· Nominations for recognition will be accepted by the City during the month of October of each year. If nominations are submitted, an Ad Hoc Selection Committee appointed by the Mayor· will be the first level of review of nominated names. The Selection Committee will be comprised of the chairs of the Human Relations Commission, the Library Advisory Commission, the Parks and Recreation Commission, the Planning and Transportation Commission, the Public Art Commission, the Utilities Advisory Commission, a representative of the City Council, a representative of the business community, and a representative of the Palo Alto Historical Association (P AHA). The three representatives from the City Council, business community and P AHA may either be newly appointed by the Mayor or may be representatives of past Selection Committees. The process of name review will require the person or group making a naming suggestion to document the reasons for the particular suggestion and the contributions that the individual has made to the community. Using a suggestion form will help standardize nominations. The selection of persons to be honored will be completed in time to be confirmed by resolution of the City Council at the last regular Council meeting of the calendar year. RESOURCE IMPACT The changes recommended in this report will have. little or no resource impacts. Some additional staff time will be required in directing the process of reviewing nominated individuals and preparing the necessary resolution for the Council. A wall-mounted display (Wall of Honor) would cost $3,000 initially and approximately $50 annually for the inscribed plaque. POLICY IMPLICATIONS , This revised policy is consistent with Council direction. The recommendations presented are not contrary to other City policies. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW The adoption of a policy on the recognition of individuals is not considered a project under the definitions of the California Environmental Quality Act of2001 (CEQA). ATTACHMENTS Attachment A: Draft POliC~ _~-/ . PREPARED BY: {=~r=x~ --------~;e~.···+RE~~~·]E~t~T-~~~~--------- Open Space Division Manager APPROVEDBY: ______ ~~~~~~~~~--~=-~~~- CITY MANAGER APPROV AL: ____ 4dL--,~~~.Lb~'::=::::.-.----- Assistant City Manager CMR 176:05 Page 2 of5 \ . ATTACHMENT A: POLICY AND PROCEDURES l-XXlMGR Adopted: XX 2005 RECOGNITION OF COMMUNITY SERVICE: WALL OR WALK OF HONOR POLICY STATEMENT Few individuals, though deserving of significant recognition for their service to the community, are likely to have the opportunity to have a City park or facility named in their honor. As a fitting alternative, a Wall or Walk of Honor has been established. The purpose of this policy is to ensure that persons recognized by the Wall or Walk of Honor are individuals who have made noteworthy contributions or performed services deemed to have been of great importance to the community. The Wall of Honor will be a permanent tribute, consisting of a plaque describing the honoree's accomplishments, placed on a display panel in the City Hall lobby or plaque in Heritage Park. This policy establishes uniform procedures for the selection of individuals to be recognized on the Wall or Walk of Honor. The policy also establishes criteria that will guide members of a Selection Committee in recommending names for approval by the Council. PROCEDURE FOR NOMINATING AND SELECTING INDIVIDUALS TO BE HONORED A. Responsibility of the City Manager's Office Implementation of this policy is the responsibility of the City Manager's Office. 1. Requests concerning a name to be recognized on the Wall of Honor shall be made in writing on an approved nomination form to the City Manager. a. In some instances, it may be appropriate to actively solicit suggestions and, in those cases, the City Manager should specify a time frame for submissions and method of notification. b. All submittals, whether from an individual or an organization, must include the name and address ofthe submitter. No anonymous submittals will be accepted. c. All suggestions will be given the same consideration without regard to the nomination source. 2. The City Manager is responsible for conveying the name suggestion forms to the Selection Committee and presenting the recommendations from the Selection Committee to the City Council. The City Manager's Office shall assure that adequate time is allowed for the Selection Committee to evaluate the recommended names. CMR 176:05 Page 3 of5 B. Responsibility of the Selection Committee 1. The Selection Committee will be formed each year by appointment by the Mayor and will consist of representatives from the following: a. Palo Alto Historical Association 1 representative b. Business Community 1 representative c. City Council 1 representative d. Chair of the Human Relations Commission e. Chair of the Library Advisory Commission f. Chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission g. Chair of the Planning and Transportation Commission h. Chair of the Public Art Commission 1. Chair of the Utilities Advisory Commission 2. The City Manager's Office will convene a meeting of the Selection Committee during the month of November ifnomination(s) were received during the month of October from the Council or pUblic. 3. The Selection Committee will consider the criteria below, the written nominations and conduct a public hearing in forming a recommendation to Council. 4. Once approved, staff will prepare a transmittal and resolution for consideration and approval by the Council. The transmittal shall include a narrative citing the notable achievements and contributions of the individual and a copy of the suggestion form. C. Criteria The following criteria shall be used in selecting persons for this honor: 1. Ten (10) or more years of significant community service contributions. 2. Sustained the quality of life or had a positive impact on the lives of Palo Alto citizens. 3. Created opportunities for the community through new facilities or programs. 4. Was a Palo Alto resident during the time the nominee provided community service. 5. The individual has not have been previously honored by other actions of the City, such as facilities named in their honor or other memorial. 6. Candidate may be living or deceased. D. Council Action 1. The recommendation(s) received from the Selection Committee shall be placed on the Council agenda for final approval. 2. Action by the Council shall be taken by Council Resolution. NOTE: Questions and/or clarification of this policy should be directed to the City Manager's Office. CMR 176:05 Page 4 of5 Date: Application for Nomination to the Wall of Fame Palo Alto City Hall 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto Please review the criteria below before submitting an application to nominate an individual to be placed on the Palo Alto Community Wall of Fame. Applications that are incomplete or do not meet the criteria will be rejected. 1. Ten (10) or more years of significant community service contributions. 2. Sustained the quality of life or had a positive impact on the lives of Palo Alto citizens. 3. Created opportunities for the community through new facilities or programs. 4. Was a Palo Alto resident during the time the nominee provided community service. 5. The individual has not have been previously honored by other actions of the City, such as facilities named in his or her honor or other memorial. 6. Candidate may be living or deceased. ---------------- Nominated Individual: ----------------------------------------------Years of Service to t~e City of Palo Alto _________________________________________ _ Current address (not applicable if deceased) ___________________________________ _ Nominating Individual: Name: _______________________________________________________________ ___ Address: ---------------------------------------------------------------Preferred contact phone #: _____________ E-Mail: _________________________ ___ Back~oundofnominee: _________________________________________________ _ Reason you believe this individual should be inducted into the Wall of Fame (attach additional pages if required): ' If you have question regarding the nomination process, please contact the Manager's Office at 329-2392 SUBMIT COMPLETED APPLICATIONS BY OCTOBER 31 5t TO: City Manager's Office P. O. Box 10250 ' Palo Alto, CA 94303 . Date Received by the City Manager: _____ --,--______ _ Submitted to Selection Committee: ----------Date scheduled for review by the Committee: _____ _ CMR 176:05 Page 5 of5 /