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Home My WebLink AboutMinutes - August 16, 2005 SSCITY OF LODI INFORMAL INFORMATIONAL MEETING "SHIRTSLEEVE" SESSION CARNEGIE FORUM, 305 WEST PINE STREET TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2005 An Informal Informational Meeting ("Shirtsleeve" Session) of the Lodi City Council was held Tuesday, August 16, 2005, commencing at 7:00 a.m. A. ROLL CALL Present: Council Members — Hansen, Hitchcock, Johnson, Mounce, and Mayor Beckman Absent: Council Members — None Also Present: City Manager King, City Attorney Schwabauer, and City Clerk Blackston B. TOPIC(S) B-1 "Youth Commission update" Tea Silvestre, Community Center Director, reported that the Youth Commission was formed in 1993. Originally, it was comprised of 11 adults, and in 1995, five youth commissioners were appointed and the adult advisors were decreased to six. Today, there are seven adult advisors and nine youth commissioners. A staff liaison was provided from the Parks & Recreation Department and later the responsibility was transferred to the Community Center. Ms. Silvestre stated that the mission and programs of the Youth Commission has remained constant over the years and the enthusiasm has never been stronger. The Teen Lead program was cut three years ago due to a decrease in funding. This program was chosen to be discontinued because it affected the least number of youth. The annual "Wet 'N Wild" event (later named "Take the Lake") was changed from an event for middle school and high school aged youth to only middle school students. This was done in response to complaints that had been received about the behavior of the high school students. The monthly youth forum has been a successful venue for improving communication with youth of the community. Ms. Silvestre noted that there is a changing culture, which is important for the Commission to evolve with so that it can best serve the needs of the youth. She recommended that a charter or bylaws be developed for the Youth Commission and adopted by the Council. Within the document, it would be important to define whether the Commission should be driven by the youth or the adult advisors. She noted that, each year, the Commission interviews every candidate that applies to fill vacant positions; however, the ultimate decision for appointment lies with the Mayor. She felt that an annual joint meeting with the Commission and the Council would be helpful. Lodi Unified School District (LUSD) has withdrawn its funding for the program. Youth Commissioners solicit sponsorships and donations to fund events. Council Member Hansen suggested that LUSD be contacted to reinstitute its funding of the Youth Commission. In addition, he recommended that LUSD also adopt the Commission's charter/bylaws along with the Council. He felt that it was important that the Commission be driven by its youth members. He expressed hope that funding could be restored in the future to resume the Teen Lead program. He supported the current process of the Commission interviewing A applicants and felt that Mayors should strongly consider their input when making recommendations for appointments. Council Member Johnson also expressed support for the Teen Lead program. Council Member Mounce mentioned that she would be attending the Lodi 2x2 Committee with LUSD members tonight and would broach the subject of Youth Commission funding. Continued August 16, 2005 Mike Areida, former liaison to the Youth Commission, reported that the cost to attend the annual youth conference was $8 per person. Previously, Lodi High School subsidized $6 of the cost for its students to attend. This year, it withdrew its funding and, of 245 who typically attended the conference in past years, only 45 participated this year. Ricky Gill, Youth Commissioner, noted that there are obstacles unique to the Commission, e.g. a youth/adult partnership and a public/private partnership. He stated that soliciting sponsorships for events can be difficult work. Recently, difficulties were encountered in getting a contract approved. Even though it was a vendor that had been used before, the process took two months to complete. Council Member ,bhnson asked that Youth Commission minutes be sent to Council on a regular basis. C. COMMENTS BY THE PUBLIC ON NON -AGENDA ITEMS None. D. ADJOURNMENT No action was taken by the City Council. The meeting was adjourned at 7:52 a.m. ATTEST: Susan J. Blackston City Clerk 2 -----Original Message ----- From: Phillip Pennino [maifto:ppennino@sbcglobal.net] Sent: Friday, August 12, 2005 10:11 PM To: Susan Hitchcock; Larry Hansen; John Beckman; JoAnne Mounce; Bob Johnson Cc: Summer; Susan Blackston; Blair King; Tea Silvestre Subject: Youth Commission Mayor and Councilmembers I understand the Youth Commission will be discussed at the Tuesday Shirt Sleeve Session. Unfortunately I will be out of town and unable to attend. I appreciate the opportunity to talk to Blair King and Tea Silvestre regarding the Youth Commission. The Youth Commission is very dear to me. While I believe the Youth Commission has lost it focus from it's original intent, there is an opportunity to re -focus and make the Youth Commission stronger. Allow me to provide you with some background. The Youth Commission was started when I was Mayor in 1993. Rick Souza, then President, LUSD and myself got together to form a joint partnership to create the Lodi Youth Commission. This joint effort focused on teens from 7th through 12th grade. Seven Youth Commissioners and Five Adults worked together and developed a series of programs that raised the awareness of teens in our community. The Council wanted the Youth Commission to be a standout and separate identity. In addition the Council wanted the Youth Commission to be a direct report to the Council on issues impacting the teens of Lodi. So the Youth Commission was put under the leadership of Charlene Lange at HSS. It was the Council opinion that if it was a part of the Parks and Recs program it would just become another program. Some of the original programs included: • Annual Youth Conference - this event was geared for High School students and featured professionals from our community speaking to the teens about their careers and their future. • Teen Lead - This was modeled after the Lodi Chamber of Commerce Leadership Lodi Program. Up to 30 teens met for a half day once a month to hear from key leaders in our community and to learn more about Lodi. The monthly programs included; Business Day at General Mills; Government Day at City Hall; Agriculture Day hosted by the Ag community; and Health Care, hosted by Lodi Memorial to name a few of the programs. • Wet and Wild - A day of fun filled events at Lodi Lake. High School & Junior High teens would come and spend a day at the lake listening to music, playing in the water, and having fun on the inflatable toys. Yes we did have an occasional problem, but they were minor and handled appropriately. • Teen of the Month - Once a month, the youth Commissioners select a "Teen of the Month" who is highlighted at the Council Meetings. These plus many of the other activities done by the Youth Commission helped raise the awareness and activity level higher in Lodi. Its has a positive impact on so many teens. Can it be revamped and refocused? Yes. IF needed (because I believe in the program), I would be glad to help refocus the Youth Commission. In addition, if I am not the right person (and that is ok) my daughter, Summer, who was a Youth Commissioner would be glad to assist. B-1 In regards to funding, it should be minimal. For the first nine out of twelve years the Youth Commission was staffed by a part time person. Additional money was raised from the community. Many businesses were (and are still) willing to fund Teen Programs if you have the right activities. The bottom line is that I hope you will keep the Youth Commission, refocus it and make it the pride of Lodi it once was. Please let me know if i can help. Sincerely, Phil Pennino