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Kennedale council debates Youth Advisory Council bylaws, budget and timeline; staff to return with revisions
Summary
Council members discussed revising the Youth Advisory Council ordinance and bylaws, lowering membership from 25 to a smaller number, considering October recruitment and exploring YMCA partnership; staff will draft ordinance changes and budget implications.
The Kennedale City Council discussed Jan. 21 whether to restart and revise the city's Youth Advisory Council (YAC), focusing on membership size, ordinance language, staffing and funding.
Mayor Pro Tem Michaels and council members identified several problems in the current ordinance: the use of mandatory language ("shall") where flexibility is needed, an unattainable 25 voting-member requirement and an initial June-to-May term cycle that would be difficult to implement immediately. City staff and the city secretary said the city has not budgeted for YAC operations since COVID and recommended aligning a relaunch with the budget cycle so funding and staff support are available.
City Secretary (unnamed) and City Manager Hall advised that changing the ordinance wording from "shall" to "up to" and reducing membership would address several logistical concerns. Staff recommended an October start to allow the city to advertise, collect applications, coordinate with schools and, if needed, evaluate YMCA programs that offer similar youth engagement. Council members suggested favoring service hours over cash stipends as the membership benefit and involving homeschool and private-school students so the council can draw from a broad pool.
Councilmembers asked staff to review comparable programs, prepare recommended edits to the ordinance and present budget implications. Council also suggested outreach to the Kennedale Independent School District, YMCA and the historical volunteer networks to ensure a representative applicant pool and to avoid duplicating existing programs.
