PORT TOWNSEND — The Board of Jefferson County Commissioners plans to entertain a proposal to form a youth commission.
Commissioner Heather Dudley Nollette and County Administrator Mark McCauley were tasked with assembling a proposal for the formation of the commission at Monday’s meeting.
The commission, which would be composed of juniors and seniors in high school, likely would begin with the next school year, McCauley said.
McCauley, who is set to retire at the beginning of July, brought the idea to the board of county commissioners (BOCC) on Monday.
“But you’re only here for another week,” Commissioner Heidi Eisenhour said.
“Right, that’s why I’ve gotta go crazy,” McCauley replied.
McCauley said he volunteered his time to work with incoming county Administrator Josh Peters to establish the commission.
McCauley said he was heavily involved with a youth commission during his time in Clark County.
“I really should have done this a long time ago,” McCauley said. “I have like a week left.”
The commission would be county sponsored, and McCauley would request a small budget for the commission, he said.
“It’s a way of engaging youth in our community to help identify issues, problems and opportunities, and to perform research and recommend solutions to you, the Board of County Commissioners,” McCauley said.
The board passed a motion to authorize McCauley to draft a resolution for the formation of the commission, which he said he would do by July 7.
McCauley said he will reach out to school district superintendents to see if they want to participate.
“How they would participate would have to be worked out,” he said. “How would Port Townsend High School select its two or three members to be on the commission? Would it be an election of the student body? Would they submit applications and have the principal select the representatives?”
McCauley said he would reach out to Port Townsend City Manager John Mauro to gauge his and the city’s interest in participating on the commission.
“I think that would raise the profile of the youth commission, if the city and the county were to partner in it,” McCauley said.
If the resolution were to pass on July 7, positions for volunteer board members would be advertised.
The positions would be appointed by the BOCC.
“I would apply, of course,” McCauley said.
The volunteer board would bring establishing documents to the BOCC for consideration.
“We would appoint youth to the commission, then we’d get to work,” McCauley said.
McCauley said he would like to have a small budget.
“So that when we have the monthly youth commission meetings, we can serve them pizza,” he said.
Students serving on the board could solicit topics to address, through their respective student bodies, McCauley said.
“Maybe they could have a school assembly and seek input from the student body on what issues are of concern to them,” he said. “The bigger the list, the better.”
Dudley Nollette suggested the commission could be mandated to seek input from the primary and middle schools in addition to the high schools they attend.
Dudley Nollette said details about Brinnon School students who use Quilcene High School receiving equal representation should be addressed in the charter.
McCauley said he would solicit involvement from the Queets-Clearwater school district. Students there would probably need to participate remotely, he said.
“Then, of course, logistics, Brinnon and Quilcene,” McCauley said. “If we’re going to meet in a room, how do they get there?”
“I think this is amazing. I’m excited to see it move forward,” Dudley Nollette said. “It really addresses, in a tangible way, a lot of the questions we got in the youth day of the connectivity summit.”
“I think it’s exciting,” Commissioner Greg Brotherton said. “I still don’t know what it will look like. I’ve got no objection to moving forward and seeing what comes together. We struggle to get volunteers on all sorts of different levels. It will be interesting to see the reception.”
Initiating the process brings up as many questions as it does answers, but those questions can’t be addressed without that initiation, McCauley said.
“There are many potential points of failure, but what are the consequences going to be for me, embarrassment maybe?” McCauley joked.
________
Reporter Elijah Sussman can be reached by email at elijah.sussman@sequimgazette.com.
