City Commission Policy 114 - Ceremonial Recognition Policy
DEPARTMENT: City Manager
DATE ADOPTED: August 19, 1992
DATE OF LAST REVISION: August 20, 1997
114.01 Authority: City Commission action of August 19, 1992.
114.02 Scope and Applicability: This policy applies to all ceremonial proclamations, key to the city, plaques, certificates of appreciation and other forms of recognition issued by the City of Tallahassee.
114.03 Policy Statement: This policy is intended to establish guidelines for the issuance
of formal recognition in support of a particular event, program or cause, or recognition of a particular individual.
Proclamations, Plaques or Certificates of Appreciation:
The city will consider a request for a proclamation, plaque or certificate of appreciation from any group or individual, as long as the request has some type of local appeal and promotes positive quality of life activities taking place in the City of Tallahassee. The general criteria for the issuance of these types of recognition are:
- issues with widespread community interest or concern, with a primary emphasis on requests in support of the City Commission's target issues
- recognition of significant local group or individual accomplishments
- individual accomplishments focusing on positive, family-related issues in the community that add to the overall quality of life in Tallahassee, or otherwise promote the institution of families in our community
Keys to the City:
Keys to the City of Tallahassee will be issued to individuals upon approval by the Mayor. There will be two (2) types of keys issued by the City of Tallahassee - a large formal key, usually encased with an inscribed plaque in an appropriate frame, and a smaller key presented by itself. The general criteria for issuance of the two keys is as follows:
- Large Key - the large encased formal key should be issued, upon approval by the Mayor, only to dignitaries of unique and recognizable national or international stature upon their arrival in Tallahassee, or certain citizens of Tallahassee who have brought national or international acclaim to the Tallahassee community.
- Small Key - the smaller key presented by itself should be issued, upon approval by the Mayor, to those dignitaries, local citizens or other in recognition of a significant accomplishment or achievement that has brought a level of acclaim to the Tallahassee community, but is not, in general, of national or international stature.
114.04 Procedures:
Receiving Requests: The Mayor's Office coordinates these functions. All inquiries shall be directed to the Mayor's Office, which maintains responsibility for the program. The Mayor's Office will receive information from the requesting individual or group, and then forward to the Mayor for approval.
Process for Issuance of Proclamations at City Commission Meetings: Proclamations will be issued during the "Presentations" portion of City Commission meetings, at the beginning of the meeting following any discussion of agenda modifications. They are normally issued at regular meetings beginning at 4:00 p.m. Proclamations will be presented at City Commission meetings only if they support the Commission's target issues, recognize significant local accomplishments, or recognize individual accomplishments focusing on positive, family-related issues. There will be a limit of three (3) proclamations issued at any City Commission meeting.
Process for Issuance of Proclamations Other than at City Commission Meetings: Proclamations other than those issued at City Commission meetings may still be presented at the request of individuals or organizations. The prepared proclamation will either be made available to pick up at the City Commission office, or be presented by a City Commissioner or city official if requested, pending the ability of Commissioners or other city officials to honor such requests. The Mayor's Office will coordinate the presentation of these proclamations.
Process for Issuance of Keys to the City: The large key should be issued by the Mayor or his/her designee at a special ceremony or media event. The smaller key may be issued by the Mayor, his/her designee, another City Commissioner, or a designated city staff member of department director level or higher at a location mutually agreed upon by the city and the receiving party. All requests for the issuance of keys to the city should be forwarded to the Mayor's Office.
Other Types of Presentations: The city will also on occasion issue other types of formal recognition, including certificates of appreciation and plaques at special events as determined by the issuing official. The Mayor's Office will also be responsible for the coordination of these events.
114.05 Administration: The Mayor's Office maintains responsibility for the administration of this policy.
114.06 Sunset review: This policy will be reviewed on or before August 20, 1997.
114.07 Effective Date: This policy shall become effective on August 20, 1992.