Mayor John Ditslear City of Noblesville, Indiana Mayor s Youth Council Bylaws ARTICLE I. NAME, PURPOSE, AND PROJECTS

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1 Mayor John Ditslear City of Noblesville, Indiana Mayor s Youth Council Bylaws ARTICLE I. NAME, PURPOSE, AND PROJECTS Section 1.1 Name. Mayor s Youth Council (or Youth Council ) and shall remain so until such time that the Youth Council unanimously decides to revise it. This requires approval of the Mayor of the City of Noblesville. Section 1.2 Purpose. The Noblesville Mayor s Youth Council is established to encourage young people to become engaged with their local government, advise local government officials on the issues that face young people in their community, and learn about local government, the importance of civic participation, and how to lead public initiatives. Section 1.3. Projects. The Youth Council must complete a project from the following list. A group will consist of 3 or more Youth Council members. All projects are subject to approval of council advisor and Mayor of Noblesville. a. Group Presentation: Research an issue that affects youths in our community and present the problem and potential solutions to City Council. b. Group Event: Plan and execute one event to engage other young people in a topic of the Youth Council s choosing. c. Group Community Service: Complete one community service project for the benefit of the community or a City department. Project must include at least four hours of volunteer time. Members will be required to submit a summary of their experience. d. Individual Job Shadow: Each participant will select a City department or a department within a county, state, or federal government office to job shadow for one day in the year. Job shadowing must be for at least four hours. Members will be required to submit a summary of their experience. All Youth Council members must submit a Program Evaluation: At the conclusion of the program, Youth Council members will complete a program evaluation to help 1

2 the City officials determine changes that need to be made to the program going forward. The program evaluation will also include a self-evaluation. Section 1.4. Failure to Complete a Project. In the event that a member does not complete a project from the above list or a member does not submit a program evaluation, the member cannot graduate from the program and is ineligible to reapply to the program in the future. ARTICLE II. MEMBERSHIP Section 2.1 Members. The Youth Council will consist of members representing each grade level from 8th to 12th grade. The Youth Council may be comprised of students that live in or attend a school in the City of Noblesville in addition to homeschooled and private, magnet, and charter school students. Section 2.2. Eligibility. Each student shall reside within the City of Noblesville or attend a Noblesville School. Students must be in good standing in their school and their community to be a member of the Youth Council. There will be no GPA requirements; however, applicants must submit a letter of recommendation from a non-relative employer, teacher, school administrator, government employee, community leader, athletic coach, religious mentor, who knows the student and can vouch for the student s character and commitment to the program. Noblesville City Council members, the Mayor, City Clerk, City Judge, City Attorney, or any staff mentors cannot sponsor students. Section 2.3. Appointment of Youth Council Members. The online application is available at Additionally, copies will be sent digitally or printed and delivered to the administrators for Noblesville Public Schools, private schools, magnet, and charter schools in Noblesville who serve grades The application link will also be shared on social media in an effort to reach homeschooled students. The application will be made available on the City of Noblesville s website no later than three weeks prior to the application deadline. Section Application requirements. The following item(s) must be submitted by the deadline for the applicant to be considered: a. Completed Application b. Student Commitment c. Parent Acknowledgement 2

3 d. Letter to Selection Committee e. Letter of Recommendation Plagiarism on the application is an automatic disqualification from the program for that year. Additionally, the student's school and parents may be notified. Section Deadline. The application materials stated above must be postmarked or submitted by the deadline indicated on the application. Section Selection. The applications will be reviewed by Youth Council. The recommended candidates will be forwarded to the Mayor for approval. Final candidates will be invited to attend an induction ceremony at a City Council meeting. Usually this induction ceremony will take place at the last City Council Meeting in May. Section 2.4. Terms in Office. Terms in office for each Youth Council member shall run for a minimum of twelve months, beginning in August. There are no term limits. High school members are not required to reapply each year, but they may renew their membership if good standing is maintained. Middle school non-voting council members must apply upon entering high school. Section 2.5. Vacancies. If a member voluntarily leaves the Youth Council for reasons other than extenuating circumstances, he or she will be ineligible to re-apply in the future. If a member leaves the Youth Council and is re-appointed in a following year, there will be no opportunity for reappointment should the member need to resign for a second time. The Youth Council shall seek to fill vacancies by holding a special election within one month. Section 2.6. Compensation and Expenditure of Funds. Members serve without compensation. The Youth Council has no authority to expend funds. If fundraising is desired, approval must be granted by council advisor and mayor. Section 2.7. Removal. Any member may be removed from their position on the Youth Council at any time at the discretion of the council. Council members will consult with council advisor or mayor to determine fairest course of action. No discriminatory actions shall be entertained. A member being challenged will be notified that an ejection vote is taking place, and will be allowed to speak for themselves. Members will be ejected from Youth Council with 3

4 two-thirds approval council members. Once a member is involuntarily ejected, he or she cannot be reappointed to the Youth Council. ARTICLE III. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Section 3.1. Executive Committee. The Youth Council will elect the following officers to the Executive Committee: Council Chair, Vice Chair, Communications Director and Council Clerk. The officers are elected by a two-thirds majority of the present members at the second regularly scheduled meeting. In the event of impropriety, a two-thirds majority vote of present members will remove an executive committee member from office. A removal from office is not necessarily a removal from the Youth Council. Section 3.2. Terms of Office for Youth Council Executive Committee. Youth Council Officers serve for a term of 12 months, beginning the first meeting in August and ending approximately twelve months later when the new Youth Members take office. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Council Chair, the Vice Chair shall serve as Council Chair until the Youth Council members vote to appoint a replacement Chair. A vacancy in the other offices shall be elected by majority vote of the present members at the next regularly scheduled meeting, or as soon as reasonably practical for the unexpired term. If possible, an officer shall continue to serve until the vacancy is filled. Outgoing member should make reasonable attempts to recommend candidates to the Executive Committee for the vacancy caused. Section 3.3. Duties a. Council Chair Chair must be a senior. Presides at the Youth Council meetings and during work sessions as part of the regular meetings. He or she will be the leader of the Youth Council and will help with group coordination, motivation, and will help facilitate the business of the Youth Council. b. Vice Chair Vice chair must be a junior and have at least one year of experience. Aids the Council Chair as needed and fills in as Chair when Chair is unavailable. Vice Chair succeeds Chair upon graduation of Chair. c. Communications Director Maintains Youth Council social media accounts, including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat, in accordance with the Youth Council objectives. d. Council Clerk Keeps records and takes minutes of discussions. He or she will also keep track of attendance at meetings and keep correspondence pertaining to 4

5 the Youth Council. The Clerk shall manage all votes and elections. The Youth Council Clerk may appoint any Youth Council member as his or her designated proxy to record and take minutes in his or her absence. ARTICLE IV. MEETINGS Section 4.1. Time and Date of Regular Meeting. The Youth Council shall meet on the first and third Tuesday of each month. The Youth Council shall determine the meeting calendar on an annual basis and approve it at the start of each council term. Meetings will be held at Noblesville City Hall, and other locations determined by the Youth Council. In rare cases, Youth Council members may vote to reschedule a regular meeting should the meeting cause a majority of members to be absent. This applies to Holidays, School Breaks, and special occasions. Section Holidays. Should the regularly scheduled meeting on the first and third Tuesday of the month fall on a holiday or a day during a scheduled break from Noblesville Schools, the meeting will be cancelled or rescheduled. If a meeting must be cancelled or rescheduled for any reason, it will be rescheduled on a day that is agreed upon by a quorum of the Youth Council and the council advisor. Section 4.2. Agenda. Youth Council members may determine discussion topics and add additional items to the agenda as needed. Requested agenda additions must be sent to the council advisor no later than one week before the meeting is scheduled. The council advisor reserves the right to make changes to the agenda at any time. Robert s Rules of Order shall be adhered to. Section 4.3. Special Meetings and Correspondence. Youth Council members may meet throughout the month outside of the regularly scheduled meeting times, but the Council Clerk or a member who is a designated proxy for the Clerk must be present to take minutes. All members must be invited to any additional meetings, and a majority of the members must be present at any of these meetings. See Section for exceptions. All members and council advisor must be copied on all group correspondence. Section Committees. Youth Council members can decide to form committees to delegate the duties of the Youth Council. It is the duty of the committees to ensure all Youth Council members and the council advisor remain informed of all committee decisions. The Youth Council can decide to give full decision-making power to the Committee as it relates to its specific duty through 5

6 Youth Council vote. Once a committee is formed, committee members must schedule a regular monthly meeting to occur until the business of the committee is complete. a. If such power is granted, a full Youth Council quorum is not required at committee meetings; however, a full committee quorum is still required. b. If the Youth Council does not vote to give said power to the committee, all decisions must be voted on by a quorum of the full Youth Council. Section 4.4. Quorum. A quorum shall consist of two-thirds of the members. A quorum is required for the Youth Council to conduct an official vote. Official meetings may be take place without a quorum or majority, but at least three council members must be present. Section 4.5. Voting. Any decision made related to the group event, group presentation, group community service project or officer elections must be agreed upon by two-thirds. Members must disclose any conflicts of interest related to any of items being voted on, and must abstain from voting if a conflict of interest is determined. Section 4.6. Attendance. a. Members shall make meeting attendance a high priority. A member who is unable to attend a meeting must give at minimum 24 hours notice to the council advisor to remain in good standing. Except in the case of an extenuating circumstances, regularly missing scheduled meetings may cause a member to be removed from the Youth Council. Extenuating circumstances shall be for the following reasons: documented illness of the member or close relative, family emergency, school activities, church activities, required community involvement, and/or to attend work. A Youth Council member will contact the council advisor in writing if they will be absent from a meeting. Parents may contact the council advisor to notify of an absence in lieu of the student only if the student is ill. Members are expected to fulfill all duties and responsibilities assigned to them and failure to do so will result in removal from the Youth Council. Absences will be reviewed every three months by the Youth Council Clerk and the council advisor to ensure members are fulfilling their attendance requirements. All members are required to attend the first meeting in August. 6

7 b. All members are required to attend the "Group Event", "Group Presentation" and Group Community Service project meetings and complete assigned tasks. c. Excessive absenteeism will be subject to action and may result in the member being removed from the Youth Council. Members may be absent from no more than four regularly scheduled meetings during the course of a single term. d. If it is determined that a Youth Council member is not meeting the attendance requirements, the Youth Council reserves the right to recommend removal of the student. e. Members should be prepared to meet outside of the regularly scheduled meetings in order to complete the essential duties. However, the Youth Council is not required to meet outside of the regularly scheduled meetings. Section 4.7. Observational Meetings. Youth Council members will be required to attend one of following meetings each school year while serving on Youth Council. City Council Meeting City Council Committee Meeting Planning Commission Meeting Board of Zoning and Appeals Section 4.8. Program Changes. The Mayor or the council advisor reserves the right to make changes to the program at any time. ARTICLE V. MAYOR Section 5.1. Reports to Mayor. At any point, the Mayor can request a progress report on projects or request advisory support for issues that affect youths in our community. In such cases, all officers or a member proxy, must be present to present to the Mayor. ARTICLE VI. BYLAW AMENDMENTS These bylaws may be amended by a unanimous vote of the entire Council. The Youth Council members may propose amendments to the bylaws; however, those amendments must be approved by the mayor and council advisor. Amendments will only be entertained during the first month of each term. 7

8 ARTICLE VII. CODE OF CONDUCT Youth Council members must abide by the following code of conduct: a. Be respectful of themselves and others. b. Uphold the law. c. Be professional, accepting, and open-minded. Listen and consider other people s ideas and feelings d. Be present, mindful, and engaged. e. Be a team player. f. Do not participate in or allow bullying of any kind. g. Communicate openly and honestly with each other, mentors, City staff, elected officials, and program leaders. h. Bring a positive attitude to meetings. 8