Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Youth Advisory Council topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Las Vegas City Council approves Youth Leadership Advisory Council ordinance after divided debate
Summary
The City Council voted 6-1 to establish a Youth Leadership Advisory Council, creating a new chapter in the Las Vegas municipal code to formalize youth input. Supporters said the council will expose young people to civic process; opponents cited duplication and inconsistent prior committee decisions.
The City Council on Wednesday approved an ordinance to create a Youth Leadership Advisory Council, adding a new chapter (Chapter 2.7) to Title 2 of the Las Vegas Municipal Code. The measure passed 6-1.
Councilwoman Olivia Diaz, the bill sponsor, said the council would give local youth a formal channel to learn about municipal government and help city officials understand issues young residents face. "This is such an instrumental ordinance to help ensure that we, the city, are forming and educating our youth to participate in their local government," Diaz said.
The ordinance emerged from a recommending committee and was the subject of public comment and council debate. Several residents and advocacy groups spoke at the meeting in support of youth engagement. Opponents on the council argued the city had previously rejected other advisory committees for reasons including cost, redundancy or a perceived lack of direct impact.
Councilmember (name recorded as) Seaman opposed the ordinance, saying it followed closely on the heels of a failed proposal for an animal advisory committee and calling the council’s previous reasoning inconsistent. "I find it very hypocritical," Seaman said during the debate, referencing the earlier committee vote.
Councilman Knutson and others who supported the ordinance said the effort was planned and vetted over months, not months, and that the council had worked on different models before finalizing the current language.
The ordinance’s text (introduced as Bill 2025-1) sets up the council’s statutory location in the municipal code and calls for details about membership and scope to be worked out administratively. The record shows the council moved to approve the ordinance and the motion passed 6 to 1.
The vote ends the formal legislative step to create the Youth Leadership Advisory Council; the council and staff will next complete the implementing rules and appointment process called for by the new code language.
The council’s action followed public testimony earlier in the meeting from youth advocates and representatives of civic organizations urging formal youth engagement. The council did not adopt additional spending tied to the ordinance during the session.
Looking ahead, sponsors said they expect the council to be used for internships and to expose young residents to municipal processes, while opponents asked staff and sponsors to ensure it does not duplicate existing regional or nonprofit youth programs.
