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Council amends Youth Advisory Council ordinance to reflect current practices and expand outreach
Summary
The council approved Bill 51-25 to update appointment procedures and duties for the South Bend Common Council Youth Advisory Council, removing district-based membership, revising officer selection and adding a requirement for at least one public forum or seminar per year.
The South Bend Common Council voted Sept. 8 to approve Bill 51-25, amending Chapter 2, Article 1, sections 2-12.1.1 through 2-12.1.7 to update appointment procedures and duties for the city’s Youth Advisory Council.
Council member Karen L. White, who presented the bill, said the ordinance had not been amended since the council established the Youth Advisory Council in 2019 and that the proposed changes align the ordinance with the council’s actual operating practices.
White summarized the key changes: the ordinance removes a requirement that Youth Advisory Council members be named to serve specific council districts; it revises how the council’s youth officers are selected and clarifies their duties; and it adds a new requirement that the Youth Advisory Council organize at least one seminar, town hall meeting, or similar public forum each year.
White also said the current cohort has produced several graduates who went on to higher education, and that outreach to St. Joseph County schools has begun to recruit a new cohort. No members of the public spoke for or against the bill at the public hearing. The committee of the whole gave Bill 51-25 a favorable recommendation, and the council recorded unanimous recorded ayes when it passed third reading.
White encouraged students and families to contact high school counselors about applications for the Youth Advisory Council; she said each applicant will receive an interview and that her office worked with the clerk’s office to coordinate recruitment.
