Who says you can’t celebrate an anniversary twice in one year?

That’s exactly what Vaughan politicians did when they welcomed a delegation from the southern Italian city of Delia last week to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its friendship agreement.

About 2,500 families of Delian origin live in Vaughan, representing about 6,000 to 7,000 people.

In April, councillors Bernie Di Vona and Gino Rosati travelled to the small Sicilian locale to renew the agreement both cities signed in 1998.

The 11-day trip was picked up primarily by the Community of the Organization for Emigrated Sicilians, which is affiliated with the Italian government.

As for the double celebration, Mr. Rosati said that’s the way it works.

“That’s how it’s done. Usually when you visit, they visit back,” he said.

The only cost not picked up by the organization was the $1,100-a-piece airfare.

Mr. Rosati paid for his own airfare because he felt that was appropriate as only three days of the trip were related to city business.

“If I had gone to Delia and then flown back home, then the trip would have been entirely for city business,” Mr. Rosati said. “Then the city can pick up the costs.”

Although the part of the trip that took councillors to cities such as Palermo and Etna was paid for by the Sicilian organization, Mr. Rosati still thought it made sense to pay his own way there.

“I thought it was the appropriate thing to do,” he said.

Mr. Di Vona, however, let taxpayers pick up his airfare.

“The city paid for my airfare because it was a trip on behalf of the city. I find it to be appropriate,” Mr. Di Vona said.

He also said he has shown restraint and has not gone on any of the numerous trips councillors have taken to places as far away as China.

“It was within my council discretionary spending,” Mr. Di Vona said.

The Delia delegations’s trip to Vaughan,which included new Mayor Dr. Calogero Messana, also included the celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Delia social club here, Mr. Di Vona said.

The mayor of Delia was invited by the club and Ms Jackson extended the invitation for them to meet the local councillors, Mr. Di Vona said.

“We were just being a polite host,” Mr. Di Vona said, adding that was at no cost to taxpayers.

Since the two politicians visited Delia in April, there was a general election and a new mayor elected, Mr. Rosati said.

“We knew they would visit eventually, but the trip was not planned yet,” Mr. Di Vona said.