TITLE
The Mayor and City Council shall discuss and possibly take action to approve a proposed amendment to the Youth Council. Discussion and Action.
AGENDA ITEM DESCRIPTION
The ongoing purpose of the Youth Council is to serve as a link between the youth of the City of Maricopa and their community, city staff and the Mayor and City Council. The intended annual outcomes and vision for the Youth Council are to:
· Produce a town hall meeting to address topics concerning youths
· Volunteer at events and functions and connect local youths with volunteer opportunities
· Partner with Mayor and Council to produce a Mock Council meeting and Youth Government Day
· Promote and support local youth and teen activities
· Educate the youth of our City on youth-related issues and provide a forum for feedback
· Provide opportunities for young leaders in our community to interact in a local government setting
· Provide staff recommendation and feedback for youth-related programs and issues
Our current structure for the Youth Council makes it difficult for members to achieve and experience what was the initial intent and direction from Mayor and Council. The aforementioned bullet points can be accomplished without the committee being appointed by the Mayor and Council. The majority of a Youth Council’s participation needs to occur outside of the open meeting process and requires planning without public input and notification. As we have seen in other advisory committees (CAAC, Arts, and Age Friendly), open meeting laws have restricted their ability to plan events and activities and has led to frustration for both staff and participants. Open meeting laws make sense for many advisory committees, but based on the initial direction and current practice it is restrictive for other committees.
We believe the direction provided by Mayor and Council at the Youth Council’s inception remains appropriate to steer the committee. However, the Youth Council would be better position...
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