Satellite Beach Youth Council holds first meeting, elects chair and vice chair

The Satellite Beach Youth Council held its first official meeting on Oct. 28, 2019, electing Alex LaFortune as chair and Charlotte Barnes as vice chair and beginning planning for environmental and outreach projects.

At the start of the meeting, members were sworn in and recited an oath that referenced the U.S. Constitution, the State of Florida, the city code and city ordinances. Webb Pierce, the city clerk, gave a primer on parliamentary procedure and Florida’s Sunshine Law, warning members that board business must be discussed in public meetings and that off-agenda communications about council business can create public-record and Sunshine Law risks.

"No communication between board members on items under the board's purview are allowed," Webb Pierce said, explaining the prohibition on private discussions about items that may come before the youth council.

During the nominations for leadership, McKenzie Parson moved "to nominate Alex LaFortune for chair," and the motion was seconded; the membership voted to approve the nomination. Alex LaFortune then led the discussion for vice chair, and a motion to nominate Charlotte Barnes carried, seating Barnes as vice chair.

Serena Videla, identified in the meeting as an alternate youth council member, offered to serve as secretary and said she has prior experience keeping minutes for a school club. "I was a secretary for a year of my beta club," Videla said, and volunteered to record minutes.

City finance director Britney Jumper gave members an overview of how the city budget and finance functions are organized and described the budget cycle and audit calendar. Jumper said the city’s overall budget is "about $2,324,000,000 dollars," and that the general fund is "just over 13,000,000," with about 60% of general-fund revenue coming from property taxes. She urged members to review the online budget book for more detail and offered to return for a fuller presentation.

Courtney Barker, the city manager, told the council staff could assist with social media and with preparing reports if the youth council wanted to seek formal council action or funding. Barker said the city archives social-media changes as public records and said staff could provide a small startup budget for youth-council projects.

Members spent much of the meeting brainstorming priorities. Ideas included environmental projects focused on the Indian River Lagoon (oyster mats, mangrove plantings, lagoon cleanups), social-media outreach targeted to teens (Instagram) and parents (Facebook), a youth-council T-shirt, and school partnerships such as refillable water-bottle stations. Several members volunteered to help with social-media content and shirt design.

Staff and members also discussed near-term outreach opportunities: participating in community events such as Founders Day and the Ocean Reef Festival to promote the new council, while accounting for scheduling conflicts (members noted some would be taking the SAT exam). Staff suggested working with the city’s beautification and sustainability boards for joint initiatives and offered contacts and support.

The council agreed on a 9 p.m. meeting end time as a standing guideline and asked members to work on mission-statement ideas, project concepts and social-media drafts between meetings and to bring proposals back for formal discussion and any necessary motions. The council scheduled its next meeting for the fourth Monday of the month (the clerk noted the Nov. 25, 2019 meeting would fall in Thanksgiving week). The meeting adjourned shortly after those discussions.

The youth council’s next steps are scheduled: members will develop draft mission statements and project proposals, prepare social-media and T-shirt options for review, and return with more concrete plans at the next meeting.