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Item 6AAGENDA ITEM # 6A OCTOBER 27, 2008 RESOLUTION NO.O&13 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF ATLANTIC BEACH, FLORIDA RECOGNIZING THE "BUILDING CITIZENSHII' IN THE COMMUNITY: BACK TO BASICS" INITIATIVE OF THE FLORIDA LEAGUE OF CITIES, INC., AND PLEDGING SUPPORT FOR THIS STATEWIDE EFFORT WHEREAS, municipal government is the government closest to most citizens, with tremendous daily impact upon its residents; and WHEREAS, city government is administered for and by its citizens, and is dependent upon public commitrnent to, and understanding of, its many responsibilities, and city government officials and employees share the responsibility to pass along their understanding of public services and their benefits; and WHEREAS, Florida's citizenry receives public services from state, county, school district, and other government levels, educating Florida's citizens of all ages as to the structure and function of all the levels of government, and how to be wise consumers of such services is therefore critically important; and WHEREAS, the Florida League of Cities and its member cities have joined together to teach students and all citizens about municipal government through a variety of different projects, resources and information; WHEREAS, this initiative will make resources available to cities and their citizens to utilize in furthering their goals for civic education; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the City of Atlantic Beach as follows: Section 1. That the City of Atlantic Beach, Florida does hereby encourage all citizens, city government officials and employees to utilize the opportunities and resources available through this initiative. Section 2. That the City of Atlantic Beach, Florida does encourage educational partnerships between city government and schools, as well as civic groups and other organizations. Section 3. That the City of Atlantic Beach, Florida does support and encourage all city governments to actively promote the "Building Citizenship in the Community: Back to Basics" initiative. Passage adopted by the City Commission of the City of Atlantic Beach this day of 2008. APPROVED AS TO FORM: ALAN C. JENSEN, ESQUIRE City Attorney ATTEST: Mayor DONNA L. BUSSEY, CMC, City Clerk ~~~pGUE of c~~i ~~ O = w ~ ~ AGENDA ITEM ~ 6A OCTOBER 27, 2008 301 South Bronough Street, Suite 300 • Post Office Box 1757 • Tallahassee, FL 32302-1757 (850) 222-9684 • Fax (850) 222-3806 • Web site: www.flcities.com October 15, 2008 Deaz Municipal Official: I am very humbled to serve as your President this year. The Florida League of Cities is very near and deaz to my heart. The League's motto states, "Local Self Government is the Keystone of American Democracy" and I believe city government is the closest government to the people of Florida and I believe in Home Rule. I want to stand side-by-side with you to protect the Home Rule power of Florida's cities. It is true that we aze facing extremely tough economic times and I believe education of our citizens, and future citizens {students), is of the utmost importance--now more than ever before. Educating our citizens on the fundamentals of city services and what it takes to effectively run a city is going to be essential as we continue to be forced to "tighten our municipal belts", do more with less, and still maintain the level of service demanded by our citizenry. Through my presidential priority: "Building Citizenship in the Community: Back to Basics" the League will design, launch and manage a campaign to increase civic awareness and participation. We will provide education for our constituents to increase their awazeness of municipal issues and help them become smarter municipal services consumers. I encourage each municipality to stand with me in support of this initiative. I have attached a resolution for your council's or commission's consideration. There aze 411 active municipalities in the Sunshine State - it would be wonderful to have 100% participation! I appreciate your consideration of this request. Further, I would appreciate hearing about what you are doing in your municipality. I'd like to heaz about your successes in citizen educafion and about things that didn't work as well. What do they think about city government? How can we strengthen the relationship between elected officials and the average citizen in Florida's cities, towns and villages? I hope you will share your stories with the League. I appreciate your continued dedication to the Florida League of Cities. Together, we can make a difference...we already have...we will continue to do so! Sincerely, f- %~~- Carmine Priore President, Florida League of Cities Vice Mayor, Wellington President Carmine Priore, Vice Mayor, Wellington First Vice President John Marks, Mayor, Tallahassee ~ Second Vice President Joy Cooper, Mayor, Hallandale Beach Executive Director Michael Sittig ~ General Counsel Harry Morrison, Jr.