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College Park council approves expanded internship program, flags supervision and electioneering concerns
Summary
The council approved updated internship guidelines that allow each councilmember to host up to three interns per semester, with staff noting supervision responsibilities, hourly limits and a possible need for future budget adjustments; members asked to codify restrictions on political campaign activity.
The College Park mayor and council approved revisions to the city council internship program that increase member-hosted internship slots and clarify supervision and pay parameters.
Under the updated guidelines presented by human-resources staff, each councilmember may host up to three interns per semester (a structural increase from the previous single-intern arrangement). The change could raise the program’s potential headcount, and staff noted that if every slot were filled across semesters the city may need to revisit the budget. Staff said the initial funding allocation for the change is $33,000 for fiscal year 2027, but that higher participation could require a future budget amendment.
Council members raised operational questions about supervision, eligibility and campaign activity. Staff confirmed interns must be legally authorized to work in the United States; they may be nonresidents. Supervisory responsibility sits with the councilmember or the department hosting the intern, and timesheets and hour records will be remitted to the clerk’s office. Councilmembers asked the staff to make explicit in guidelines that interns should not be used for electioneering or campaign work; staff and legal counsel agreed that campaign-related activity would be inappropriate for a city internship.
The motion to approve the revised guidelines and funding allocation passed by voice vote after a brief discussion of scope, supervision and outreach plans to recruit students from campus programs. Councilmembers also suggested outreach to university internship offices and academic departments to ensure good matches.
What happens next: staff will implement the revised guidelines, publish application materials and manage payroll and supervision processes. Council asked for follow-up if the program’s uptake requires budget adjustments.
