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Klamath County to add nonvoting student members to tourism and economic development committees
Summary
The board agreed in principle to add nonvoting student members to the tourism and economic development committees, specifying a school‑year term, mentor support, an application adapted for youth, and a committee screening plus final interview process.
County staff asked the board to reinstate and formalize a prior proposal to add student members to two advisory committees. The board agreed in principle to add nonvoting youth members to the tourism and economic development committees, and discussed term length, eligibility and an application and mentoring process.
Staff said the original idea was to appoint a youth member to each committee to introduce students to local civic and business processes. Board members and staff discussed age and enrollment criteria — several commissioners favored high‑school students (a later comment framed the target as “17 to 21” or simply “high school student”), with the county settling on a school‑year term (nine months). The board agreed student members would be nonvoting observers or advisors rather than full voting members, and that the bylaws for each committee would be amended as needed.
Selection steps the board discussed include adapting the standard committee application for youth (simpler language and a letter of recommendation such as from a teacher), initial screening by committee staff or chairs to narrow candidates to two or three finalists, and a short interview process. One staff member volunteered to mentor the students and to explain behind‑the‑scenes governmental processes. Members agreed the position could be valuable as a senior‑project or community engagement opportunity and that homeschool students should not be excluded if they meet the student definition.
Board members asked staff to draft proposed bylaw language, an application form appropriate for youth applicants, and a screening/interview procedure; they also agreed staff should return with implementation language so the committees could recruit for the fall cycle. No formal vote was recorded; the board signaled agreement on the concept and on operational details such as term length, nonvoting status, mentoring and the use of letters of recommendation to support applicants.
