Matters Memo

City of Boulder City Council Agenda Item Meeting Date: October 9, 2025 Agenda Title Council Discussion of City of Vinnytsia, Ukraine Sister City Proposal and Process

Staff Contact • •

Elesha Johnson, City Clerk, City Manager’s Office Emily Richardson, Deputy City Clerk, City Manager’s Office

Executive Summary The purpose of this item is to provide information regarding a pending Sister City application from the Vinnytsia, Ukraine Sister City Foundation and for council to discuss the process for potential approval in an upcoming meeting. The City Clerk’s Office has thoroughly reviewed the application and deemed that it meets the criteria for council consideration under City Council Resolution No. 631 establishing the Sister City affiliation policy for the City of Boulder. The complete application for Sister City status is Attachment A of this memo. The Sister City affiliation process is defined in City Council Resolution 631, Attachment B of this memo.

Questions for Council 1. Does City Council have any questions about the Vinnytsia, Ukraine Sister City Foundation or the policy and process in Resolution 631? 2. Does City Council support proceeding with placing a formal Sister City agreement for approval on an upcoming consent agenda?

3. If yes to question 2, do any council members have an interest in serving as the first liaison?

Alignment with City Plans and City Council History Sustainability, Equity and Resilience (SER) Framework and Citywide Strategic Plan Alignment SER Framework Goal Area Responsibly Governed, and Healthy and Socially Thriving Citywide Strategic Plan N/A Staff Notes While not tied directly to the Citywide Strategic Plan, new sister city relationships present an opportunity for cultural and educational exchanges to benefit the community through a wide range of possibilities.

Alignment with Additional City Plans N/A

City Council History •

Boulder has ten sister city relationships: o Dushanbe, Tajikistan o Jalapa, Nicaragua o Kathmandu, Nepal o Kisumu, Kenya o Lhasa, Tibet o Mante, Mexico o Nablus, Palestine o Ramat HaNegev, Israel o Yamagata, Japan and; o Yateras, Cuba, • In 1992, Council passed Resolution No. 631 establishing the criteria for existing and future sister city relationships (Attachment B). Resolution 631 emphasizes Council's wish that sister city relationships focus on people-topeople exchanges and interactions, a commitment to human rights, and community (vs. government) responsibility for creating and maintaining each relationship. • In February 2024, Mayor Brockett held an introductory phone call with Mayor Vinnytsia Mayor Sergei Morgunov.

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In December 2024, city council received the application for formal consideration of the new Sister City relationship from Vinnytsia Sister City Foundation.

Analysis The City Clerk’s Office thoroughly reviewed the Boulder-Vinnytsia Sister City application to determine if it meets the requirements of City Council Resolution No. 631. The Vinnytsia Sister City Foundation meets all requirements, including: 1. Having and maintaining Section 501 (c)(3) status. 2. Having and maintaining a Boulder-based board of directors, with the board elected by the membership, and with no member of the board being a part of any commercial venture in the sister city. 3. Establishing membership criteria, but membership may not be denied based upon race, religion, nationality, membership in a minority group, membership in a particular social group or because of the expression of unpopular political opinion. 4. Having and maintaining an annual budget, a work plan, and a fund-raising report. If approved, the Vinnytsia Sister City Foundation will be required to: 5. Annually submit a status report to the City Council by the 1st of March of each year which shall show compliance with the above. 6. Make the elements required in 3, 4 and 5 available to the public. 7. Accept policy guidelines regarding human rights and the expenditure of City funds.

Anticipated Fiscal and Workplan Impacts If approved, staff do not anticipate material impacts on current workplans or budgets.

Equity Analysis No formal equity analysis was conducted given the nature of our existing policy and procedure.

Climate, Resilience, and Sustainability Considerations Staff do not anticipate any direct material impact of the initial decision to approve or deny this application. However, the Vinnytsia Sister City Foundation notes in their application, that one opportunity for partnership may be an exchange of knowledge regarding “promoting energy efficiency, regenerative agriculture, and sustainable building materials to aid post-war reconstruction.”

Community Engagement No city-sponsored community engagement has occurred. However, the Vinnytsia Sister City Foundation’s application, Attachment A, details community efforts from 2022 to date to build relationships between Boulder and Vinnytsia focused on supporting mental health.

Next Steps for City Council If Council elects to move forward with the application, formal approval of an agreement has been tentatively scheduled for October 16, 2025 for the following actions: • •

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Establishing a new sister city relationship with Vinnytsia, Ukraine; Authorizing the Mayor to sign a statement of cooperative agreement with the city of Vinnytsia, Ukraine and a letter of acknowledgment to Sister Cities International; and Appointing a council liaison to the new sister city relationship of Vinnytsia, Ukraine

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Attachments Attachment A: Boulder-Vinnytsia Sister City Application Attachment B: Council Resolution 631