SPRINGDALE — City leaders support providing money to the Springdale Youth Council.
The City Council Committee recommended Monday the City Council approve providing $2,600 to the youth council.
“This is allocating money from the administration budget to be used for the youth council,” said Melissa Reeves, public relations director for the city and architect of the youth council.
The money will go toward purchasing food, T-shirts and office supplies for the youth council, according to the city.
“I think it’s worthwhile and for $2,600 it is money well spent,” said Mayor Doug Sprouse.
Sprouse hopes businesses will donate food for youth council meetings.
Thirty applications were submitted by high school and high school-age students for youth council memberships. The application deadline was Aug. 1.
“We got stellar applicants,” Reeves said. “The Committee for Civic Engagement and Inclusion has reviewed the applications, and we’re currently working with Springdale Public Schools to settle on the top students. We’ll know by Sept. 1 who’s going to get it.”
The applicants have been narrowed to 22. There are 18 spots available, Reeves said.
“Springdale Public Schools is going to review those 22 students, and from there we will have our final 18,” she said.
Sprouse announced the council’s creation during his Feb. 28 state of the city address. Reeves said Sprouse asked her to develop the Youth Council program.
The council members with represent students from Springdale High School, Har-Ber High School, the School of Innovation and Archer Learning Center as well as home-schooled and private high school students.
The council will last from September through April and be an annual program. Every year the council will have 18 new students.
Rick Schaeffer, communications director for Springdale schools, recently lauded the Youth Council’s creation.
“It’s a really good idea because it allows the students in our School District to get a good idea of how the city government of Springdale works,” Schaeffer said in July. “Hopefully, it will encourage them to do the same wherever they live in the future.”
There will be an open position for an ex-officio member, which is a student who participated the previous year and stays on in an advisory role, but will only vote to break ties, Reeves said.
The program will include a group presentation where Youth Council members will research a problem affecting city youth. They will present the problem and potential solutions to the City Council, Reeves said.
Elected city officials ranging from the mayor to City Council members to City Attorney Earnest Cate will serve as mentors to Youth Council members, Reeves said.
Kathryn Birkhead championed the creation of a youth council when she ran for City Council last year. Birkhead worked as a diversity and inclusion director for The Jones Center and Northwest Arkansas Community College. Birkhead wasn’t elected, but she presented the youth council idea to Sprouse and he embraced the idea.
Committee action
Springdale’s City Council Committee also approved the grant of a water/sewer easement near the intersection of Johnson Road and Elmore Street to the Springdale Water and Sewer Commission.
Source: Staff report
Hicham Raache can be reached by email at [email protected] or Twitter @NWAHicham.