TO: Honorable Mayor & Members of the North Port Commission
FROM: Peter D. Lear, CPA, CGMA, City Manager
TITLE: MOCK CITY COMMISSION MEETING - Appointment of Ricky Raindrop as official representative for the City of North Port for the purpose of learning about utilities matters from the utilities he visits.
Recommended Action
Approve appointment of Ricky Raindrop as official representative for the City of North Port for the purpose of learning about utilities matters from the utilities he visits.
Background Information
North Port has long strived to bring awareness to the importance of its natural resources with particular sensitivity to the City’s finite water supplies. With the dynamic growth in our City’s development in the last few years, it is more important than ever to make every effort toward public education so as a community we may protect, conserve, and make the best use of our water resources.
In this effort, the City of North Port is not alone and there is much to be learned from other municipalities across the nation who share our plight. Ricky Raindrop is always on the go, traveling around the world learning about water, wastewater, and reclaimed water and investigating what other localities are doing to conserve and protect water resources. Through his visits, he has gained insight into source management, processes, technologies, education and outreach efforts that have worked, failed, and lead to advancement in utilities operation and service.
Today Ricky comes before the Commission seeking approval to act as honorary emissary for the city he loves and asks to be appointed an official representative of the City of North Port in his travels to gather utilities information. Ricky has been fortunate thus far that he has been well received by the cities he has visited but he feels that as the City of North Port’s official representative, more doors may open offering greater opportunity for information sharing with host agencies.
Since Ricky does not want his efforts to result in costs to the City’s residents, he proposes this as a volunteer position, to take advantage of the opportunities his travels may provide for research and investigation into utilities matters. Ricky Raindrop is H2O on the go and he would like to serve the City and spare the City resources needed to send City staff on such trips. By using Ricky for these informational opportunities, no staff would be pulled from other duties they would need to perform.
North Port Utilities recommends the appointment of Ricky Raindrop as official representative for the City of North Port for the purpose of learning from other municipalities about their water source management, treatment processes, utilities operations, and community environmental education efforts and requests Commission approval of his appointment.
Strategic Plan
Environment and Natural Resources
Financial Impact
None
Procurement
N/A
Attachments:
Prepared by: Anna Duffey
Department Director: Rick Newkirk