Naperville Sister Cities Commission won’t be dissolved but members advised to hone operations
The Naperville Sister Cities Commission will remain under the city’s jurisdiction, but with the caveat that members hone the group’s mission and act more efficiently going forward.
Naperville City Council members voted Tuesday to retain the 30-year-old commission, striking down a proposal to have its work shifted to another organization outside the city’s purview.
The vote, however, included some qualifiers: the commission will now meet on a quarterly basis — with the option of adding more meetings as needed — and its scope will need to undergo some fine-tuning.
“The commission does great work, we support all the work they’ve done in the past (and) look forward to work they can do in the future,” Councilwoman Jennifer Bruzan Taylor said. “At the same time, (there are) concerns, which I understand as well.”
The commission has been active since 1993. There are several hundred like it across the country and together they fall under a broader, nationwide organization known as Sister Cities International, founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956. Some are affiliated directly with cities and others are independent groups.
Naperville has three sister cities: Nitra, Slovakia, established in 1993; Patzcuaro, Mexico, established in 2010; and Cancun, Mexico, established in 2021. The commission is tasked with “creating greater understanding and fostering a lasting friendship” between Naperville and those communities through business, culture and education, according to city code.
Last month, city staff suggested the commission’s work be moved to the auspices of the Naperville Sister Cities Foundation — an affiliated but separate organization — and the commission be disbanded.
The foundation was created more than two decades ago for the purpose of supporting the commission. It is not regulated by the city and primarily focuses on fundraising, though for the last few years it also has organized Naperville’s Hispanic Heritage Festival.
By design, the foundation shares a close relationship with the commission. Over time, however, confusion emerged over how the two bodies were distinct from one another, Naperville Deputy City Manager Marcie Schatz previously said.
Both foundation and commission members balked at the prospect of merging. They urged elected leaders to reconsider and the matter was tabled a month to allow time for a possible compromise.
Commissioners met a few weeks ago to discuss what a compromise could look like.
They decided on three options to bring back to council: retain the status quo but work with the city to improve functionality; reorganize the commission into a task force that would advise the city in a less formal way; or go with the staff recommendation and merge with the foundation.
Option No. 1 was the commission’s preference and for the most part, that’s how council members leaned Tuesday.
“I think we need to ... approve the appointments of the people who are going to be on there, who are going to be representing our community, not just our community right here, but we’re talking about internationally representing our community,” said Councilman Benny White, who commented after nearly a dozen residents spoke in favor of keeping the commission.
“I would like for our council, your elected officials to have some say so in that,” he said.
Apart from cutting the commission’s meeting schedule, the council directed the group to maintain its responsibilities as laid out in city code and define distinctions between itself and the Sister Cities Foundation.
The council also directed staff to provide annual updates on how effectively all city boards and commissions are satisfying their missions.
The four-part motion passed 7-2, with councilmen Paul Leong and Ian Holzhauer dissenting. Holzhauer was vocal in his opposition to the council’s direction. Calling it a “slap in the face” to commission members, he instead urged the dais to allow the body to continue with less prescription.
“I think it’s a little insulting to be going back and forth here on what restrictions to put on (them),” he said.
