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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-02-05 Resolution 2024-070_Facilities and Park Land Naming PolicyTHE CITY OF WAUKEE, IOWA RESOLUTION 2024-070 APPROVING CITY OF WAUKEE NAMING POLICY IN THE NAME AND BY THE A UTHORITY OF THE CITY OF WA UKEE, IOWA WHEREAS, the City of Waukee, Dallas County, State of Iowa, is a duly organized Municipal Organization; AND, WHEREAS, in certain situations it may be appropriate and desirable to provide for the naming or renaming of facilities, park lands or park features in honor of individuals or groups who have made significant and outstanding contributions of services, land, funds or goods to the City of Waukee, State, Nation or World; AND, WHEREAS, the Waukee naming policy provides for the criteria, process and long-term maintenance for the naming of public facilities, parks, and park features located within the City of Waukee. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Waukee, Iowa on this 5th day of February, 2024, that the Naming Policy for City of Waukee facilities, parks and park features, attached hereto as Exhibit A, be and the same is hereby accepted and approved by the City Council of the City of Waukee. Attest: ,n V'' 2 Ai-i'o Rebecca D. Schuett, City Clerk RESULTS OF VOTE: AYE R. Charles Bottenberg X Chris Crone X Rob Grove X Anna Bergman Pierce X Ben Sinclair X Courtney Clarke, Mayor NAY ABSENT ABSTAIN POLICY FOR NAMING OF FACILITIES AND PARK LAND IN THE CITY OF WAUKEE I. GENERAL The Waukee City Council retains the exclusive right to name and rename facilities, park land and park features within the City of Waukee, in accordance with this policy. II. PROCEDURE Consideration of a proposal for the naming or renaming of a facility, park land or park feature shall be submitted and reviewed as follows: a. Public -Initiated Requests: Letter of Request and/or Petition A letter of request and/or petition must first be submitted to the City Council. The letter of request and/or petition shall state the reason for the request and supply specific information regarding the proposed name(s), site location, and other relevant information. The letter of request and/or petition shall include a brief explanation or biography of the person(s) or event to be honored and a justification of why the facility, park land or park feature is recommended for specific naming or renaming. Upon receipt of the letter of request and/or petition the matter will be placed on a subsequent Council agenda in order for Council to initially consider the request and either deny or refer the request to the City Administrator's Office or to the appropriate Board/Commission for further review and recommendation. b. Council -Initiated Requests The Mayor, an individual Council Member or Council as a whole may place or sponsor a request for naming or renaming on the Council agenda, in order for Council to consider the request and either deny or refer the request to the City Administrator's Office or to the appropriate Board/Commission for further review and recommendation. Referrals shall supply specific information regarding the proposed name(s), site location, and other relevant information, and shall include a brief explanation or biography of the person(s) or event to be honored and a justification of why the facility, park land or park feature is recommended for specific naming or renaming. c. Staff Verification and Review Within thirty (30) days of Council referral, staff from the applicable department, as designated by City Council or by the City Administrator, will research and verify all information submitted in the request in accordance with the naming considerations and criteria set forth below in Section III. City staff will then forward their findings and recommendation to the appropriate Board/Commission. d. City Boards/Commissions Evaluation and Council Review Within ninety (90) days of Council referral, the applicable Board/Commission will consider staff findings and the extent of public support for, and public opposition to, the proposed name, and will make a recommendation regarding the request. The appropriate Board/Commission will then present its recommendation to the City Council via the Council agenda at a regularly scheduled Council meeting for final Council consideration and approval or denial of the request. e. Public Participation Public notice will be given and a public hearing will be held on the naming or renaming proposal at the scheduled Board/Commission meeting and Council meeting. Notice of said hearings will be provided a minimum of ten (10) days prior to each hearing to affected parties by the method deemed appropriate by the Board/Commission or by Council, respectively. In the event of renaming an existing City facility or park feature, notice of the public hearing shall also be posted in a conspicuous place on or within the facility. f. Approval; Installing or Replacing Signage If the naming or renaming request is approved, the cost of producing, installing, maintaining and replacing City signs with the new name may be required to be paid for by the person or organization requesting the name change prior to such work being undertaken by the City. If required, the maintenance funding shall be provided by donation to the City of a maintenance fund in an amount established by appropriate City staff to be necessary for maintaining said sign for at least 10 years. All signage is subject to City Council approval. III. NAMING OPTIONS; CONSIDERATIONS AND CRITERIA FOR NAMING The naming or renaming of facilities, park lands or park features may be, but is not limited to, in honor of individuals, living or deceased, who have made significant and outstanding contributions of services, land, funds, or goods to the City, State, nation or world; neighborhoods, geographic or common usage identifications; and persons, places, or events of historical or cultural significance. Naming recognition is subject to future change/reconsideration by the City in the event that the recognition becomes damaging to the City's reputation, or contradictory to applicable law, as determined by the City. When evaluating naming or renaming requests, consideration should be given to the following criteria: 1. Overall benefit to the City of Waukee 2. Positive reflection on the City 3. Purpose and Mission of the City 4. Proposed name is well known to all citizens and/or acknowledged by other national, state or local community organizations for lasting significance 5. Citizen input and support for name change/commemoration 6. No duplication of names or repeated recognition of a specific person or group In addition, in the event of naming or renaming requests related to significant donations of funds, services or land, a written gift and naming agreement shall be entered into between the City and honored donor, or person or entity providing the donation, prior to or upon approval of the naming request. Such agreement shall state that naming recognition is subject to future change/reconsideration by the City in the event that the recognition becomes damaging to the City's reputation, or contradictory to applicable law, as determined by the City. The written agreement may also include an appropriate time limitation on the honorary donor naming, and may set minimum contribution amount guidelines for naming purposes. IV. EXCEPTIONS a. Exceptions to the procedure set forth in Section II of this policy may be made by City Council or by recommendation to the City Council by City staff and/or Boards/Commissions, upon finding appropriate circumstances to consider or expedite the naming or renaming of a facility, park land or park feature. Specifically, City Council may take action to approve a name change without staff or Board/Commission review and recommendation, and/or without the public hearing process, if deemed appropriate by Council. b. Facilities, park lands or park features shall not be named or renamed in honor of any City employee, Mayor, or Council, Commission or Board Member until at least two years following the end of their term/employment with the City. c. This policy of naming or renaming facilities, park land and park features shall not preclude the appropriate acknowledgment of assistance, financial or otherwise, from organizations or individuals in the construction, operation, or maintenance of facilities, park lands and park features, such as placing plaques or signs identifying the organization or individual who made a donation to the project or naming a minor component of a structure; for example, one room of a facility, or a non -fixture component of a facility, such as a bench, tree, or playground slide, etc. d. Criteria for Renaming: Preference will be given to naming of facilities, park land and park features that have not previously been named to honor a specific person or event.