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Accepting the donation of travel expenses, lodging, and meals from The State Department for Mayor Chris Coleman to attend the "International Sustainability Exchange" conference in Sweden and Hamburg, Germany as board member of the National League of Cities, from April 14th through the 21st, 2012.
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WHEREAS, the National League of Cities (NLC) is leading an important conference to exchange ideas and best practices between various officials and city governments in Sweden and Germany; and
WHEREAS, the National League of Cities, through a grant from the Department of State of the United States federal government, will be covering all expenses for Mayor Coleman to attend this trip, to include meals, air travel and transportation, and lodging at a cost not to exceed $4,100; and
WHEREAS, this conference is led by National League of Cities, which is governed by an a elected board, and on which board Mayor Chris Coleman serves as the Second Vice President; and
WHEREAS, National League of Cities is committed to promoting international exchanges of sustainability best practices; fostering relationships and sustaining conversations to promote the ongoing transfer of information, experiences, and successful approaches to support and advance sustainability initiatives in Germany and the United States; and
WHEREAS, the National League of Cities is an important organization of which the City of Saint Paul is a proud municipal member, and whose organization does great advocacy work for thousands of cities, towns and communities across the country; and
WHEREAS, climate change and environmental sustainability are paramount issues of our time, and learning more about and addressing environmental concerns is an important policy imperative for cities throughout the world with increasingly globalization and diminishing natural resources; and
WHEREAS, while attending as Mayor of the City of Saint Paul, and as Second Vice President of the National League of Cities, Mayor Coleman's attendance will benefit the city as he and other city leaders will actively engage in discussions on the pursuit of implementing strategies that promote long-term and comprehensive sustainability in all of their communities throughout the world; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Saint Paul hereby accepts the gift of travel expenses, lodging, and meals for Mayor Chris Coleman to attend the "International Sustainability Exchange" in Sweden and Germany, and thanks the National League of Cities and the United States Department of State for its generous gift.