The Sierra Madre City Council on July 8 asked staff to prepare a policy enabling commissions to appoint student commissioners as non‑voting members and to develop outreach materials for schools and youth groups.

City Clerk presented staff research showing regional examples: Monrovia uses non‑voting youth commissioners who volunteer at events; Glendale appoints two student members to about half its commissions (some as old as 24); South Pasadena has one‑year student terms for ages 14–18. The YMCA’s youth‑in‑government program also offered to partner but noted its program runs August–March.

Staff recommended letting each commission appoint student commissioners for one‑year terms, asking appointees to volunteer at city events (for example, Earth Day or concerts) and tracking attendance. Suggested parameters included non‑voting status, an age range (proposed 13–21), a one‑year term and a recommended attendance threshold (staff proposed no more than 25% excused absences in a 12‑month period). Councillors discussed whether one or two student commissioners per commission made sense; several members favored allowing commissions to decide but suggested one is more manageable for smaller commissions.

Council members said a student‑commissioner program could help cultivate future volunteers and provide service‑hour opportunities for students. They also asked staff to prepare a short fact sheet and outreach plan for local schools, YMCA and youth programs to publicize the opportunity.

The council did not place student commissioners in municipal code; staff will prepare a formal policy and outreach materials and return to council with the proposed policy and implementation steps.