§ 12-10-2. Composition; appointment; terms; chairperson and officers; committees.

(a)

The commission shall consist of 29 members, 25 of whom shall be voting members and four non-voting members. Seventeen of the voting members shall be citizens, four shall be city staff members, and four shall be staff members from the Alexandria City Public Schools. Two of the non-voting members shall be liaisons from the city council, and two shall be liaisons from the Alexandria School Board.

(1)

Citizen members.

a.

Eight of the seventeen members shall be approved by city council and shall be city residents. They shall consist of: six community members with expertise in children, youth and family issues, public safety, medical/health related profession or non-profit experience and two young adults, age 18—21.

b.

Six of the seventeen members shall be approved by the Alexandria School Board and shall be city residents. They shall consist of community members with experiences as parents, guardians, teachers and/or expertise in early childhood, youth or general education policy.

c.

Three of the seventeen members shall be approved by the youth council and shall be high school students.

d.

The terms of the citizen members shall be three years and shall be staggered, except the terms of the citizen members who are high school students shall be one year.

(2)

City staff. Four of the 29 members shall be city staff identified by the city manager. The terms of the City staff shall be three years and shall be staggered.

(3)

Alexandria City Public School members. Four of the 29 members shall be identified by the superintendent. The terms of the ACPS members shall be three years and shall be staggered.

(4)

Ex-officio members. Two of the four non-voting members shall be liaisons from the city council. Two of the four non-voting members shall be liaisons from the school board. The terms of the ex-officio members shall be three years and shall be staggered.

(b)

The commission shall elect from among its voting members a chairman and chairman-elect, alternating between city and school representatives each term and such other officers as it deems necessary. The chairman-elect is intended to succeed the chairman for the following term, supported by the past year's chairman, and a new chairman-elect. These three officers shall determine the commission committees' membership and leadership. The terms of the chairman and chairman-elect shall be for one year.

(c)

The commission shall have seven committees comprised of commission members who serve as leaders and officers of each group and members of the community at large with a demonstrated interest in issues involving children, youth and families.

(1)

Executive committee. The executive committee shall consist of the elected commission officers, and the leaders of each commission committee. The executive committee shall be led by the commission chairman and chairman-elect. The functions and duties of the executive committee shall be as follows:

a.

oversee and coordinate organizational activities;

b.

set the commission meeting agenda;

c.

make decisions consistent with those adopted by the commission;

d.

oversee implementation of the city council's work plan as developed by the commission;

e.

conduct periodic reviews of the purpose and membership of the other commission committees and make recommendations to the commission for any changes; and

f.

address any issues requiring immediate attention of the commission.

(2)

Advocacy and policy committee. The functions and duties of the advocacy and policy committee shall be as follows:

a.

review legislative issues, recommend policy and operational or procedural changes as appropriate;

b.

responsible for preparing briefing materials and position statements for distribution throughout the community; and

c.

prepare the annual report to city council and the school board based on commission activities and meeting minutes.

(3)

Finance and grants committee. The functions and duties of the finance and grants committee shall be as follows:

a.

review city and school budgets and provide recommendations during the budget cycle as appropriate;

b.

develop grant guidelines, identify potential efficiencies in funding practices between the schools and the city regarding youth issues, and determine financial impact of suggested youth program changes; and

c.

audit grant reports to determine cost benefit and measure effectiveness, recommending metric adjustments as appropriate.

(4)

Outreach and membership committee. The functions and duties of the outreach and membership committee shall be as follows:

a.

train commission members annually;

b.

recruit new members;

c.

identify potential new community partners for children, youth and family programs and assist with developing a memorandum of understanding as appropriate;

d.

provide periodic briefings and presentations throughout the community on commission activities;

e.

review applications for committee memberships; and

f.

make recommendations to city council and the school board on appointments to the commission.

(5)

Research and data committee. The functions and duties of the research and data committee shall be as follows:

a.

collect and distribute outcome data on initiatives in a youth master plan;

b.

review research literature on successful youth studies and monitor efforts by youth commissions, partnerships and collaborations throughout the nation and youth programs in the City of Alexandria;

c.

participate in regional, state and national forums and meetings as appropriate; and

d.

recommend procedures and processes for the sharing of data across the city and between programs.

(6)

Implementation and monitoring committee. The functions and duties of the implementation and monitoring committee shall be as follows:

a.

review, evaluate and discuss the quality and effectiveness of key programs as identified in a youth master plan.

(7)

Youth council. The youth council shall consist of up to 25 members, who shall be citizens. Four of the members must receive city services and/or participate in city programs and represent private and public high schools and city recreation centers. The term of these members shall be two years.

a.

The council shall elect three members of the council as their officers and voting members of the commission. The term of the officers and voting members shall be for one year. Three adult members of the commission shall be assigned to the youth council, serving as advisors to youth and co-facilitators with the officers for conducting and convening the meetings.

b.

The functions and duties of the youth council shall be as follows:

i.

build the foundation that supports youth engagement in the activities of the commission;

ii.

provide a forum for youth input regarding the effectiveness of programs;

iii.

represent youth across the city through regular communication with various youth groups; and

iv.

create opportunities for youth to make a difference in Alexandria policy and decision making processes. (Ord. No. 4727, 6/25/11, Sec. 2)