May cities spend money on hosting and gifts related to sister city visits?
No, this would be an unconstitutional gift of public funds. Although article 8, section 8 of the state constitution permits port districts to do promotional hosting, there is no similar authority for cities. Consequently, a city’s provision of meals, gifts, and the like to private individuals under a sister city program would violate article 8, section 7 of the state constitution, which prohibits cities from making a gift of public funds. An August 30, 1999 Attorney General Memorandum (No. 13), from Mary Jo Diaz, Asst. Attorney General, to Karen Stromme, King County Audit Manager addresses this issue in more detail. Also, note that not only is a city prohibited from spending its funds on such activities directly, they also cannot do so indirectly by donating moneys to a private organization that is hosting a sister city. • May cities spend money on hosting and gifts related to sister city visits? No, this would be an unconstitutional gift of public funds. Although article 8, section 8
