Council reviews proposal to create Manor internship program; staff to refine structure and funding

Council members reviewed a draft plan to establish a Manor internship program to place students and young adults in council‑level and possible departmental roles for research, communications and community‑engagement support.

Program concept: the draft proposes a phased internship program that could run on academic cycles (fall, spring, summer) with paid placements in roles such as media and communications support, policy research and data management, community‑outreach coordination and committee support. Staff presented options for an initial pilot sized to council readiness and a future expansion to include departmental internships.

Budget and timing: the draft estimated an annual not‑to‑exceed budget (at maximum scale) of roughly $42,000; staff clarified that actual hiring and payout timing would depend on whether payments are prorated across months or paid at semester end. Council discussed phasing and agreed that deployments should match council and departmental readiness and available funding. The proposed program would draw from council set‑aside funds in a future budget cycle unless otherwise directed.

Program administration: staff proposed initial oversight by a small team (city manager, city secretary and the staff lead for the program) until a community‑engagement hire or other staff structure could assume formal supervisory duties. Council asked for clarity on supervision, performance evaluation and how interns would be used for policy research versus department operational tasks.

Next steps: council gave general direction to refine the proposal, confirm funding and administrative oversight, and bring a finalized program and budget request back to a future meeting for adoption.