Adopt resolution establishing the Yolo Youth Commission as a 2-year pilot program and approve and authorize the Interim County Administrator or designee to sign the Grant Funding Agreement with Yolo County Office of Education for $400,000 to administer the Yolo County Youth Commission. (No general fund impact) (Perez/Van Hoosear)

Yolo County has made great strides in bringing forth the youth voice.  The Youth Empowerment Summit (YES) that is hosted by Jesse Salinas, Yolo County Assessor, Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters, has been awarded national recognition. This annual event brings together elected officials and students as they discuss important issues and propose solutions.  While YES provides a forum for participation and connection, there is still a need for youth participation beyond this annual event. Many school boards have student members and some municipalities and county governments have created plans to engage and empower youth. For example, the City of Woodland is creating its own Youth Master Plan. Also, noteworthy is the San Francisco Youth Commission that has 17 members and provides youth voice related to issues important to the community.
 
Given the recognized importance of youth engagement and participation, Yolo County would benefit from having its own youth commission that would build upon current efforts while creating a permanent pathway for young people to shape their future and build community in Yolo County.  The Yolo County Board of Supervisors approved $400,000 to be allocated from County generated cannabis tax revenue to form the Yolo Youth Commission with support from the Yolo County Office of Education (YCOE) as part of the Fiscal Year 2021-22 Adopted Budget approved on September 28, 2021.  It is proposed that this program start as a 2-year pilot project with a combined budget of $307,024 per year from all funding sources ($200,000 per year in County cannabis funds and $107,024 per year in YCOE grant funds from the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center).

The Yolo Youth Commission ("Commission") will be composed of 15 members who will reflect the diversity of Yolo County. Commissioners will apply using a common application that will be distributed to schools, youth organizations, and other entities.  YCOE will develop and administer the Commission application process and propose qualified candidates for BOS consideration and approval. Each member of the Board shall appoint three commissioners from their District. At the time of appointment, commissioners shall be a Yolo County resident and shall be no younger than 13 and no older than 18 years of age. Commissioners will be appointed for a one-year term and may be reappointed for one additional one-year term.  It is anticipated that YCOE will issue applications and conduct outreach in May and June 2022, with the goal of seating the first cohort of Commissioners in August/September 2022.

A key function of the Youth Commission will be conducting an annual Request for Proposals to award grants to youth-centered efforts or youth organizations serving Yolo County.  A total of $160,000 per year will be available for youth-centered grants during the 2-year pilot program period. The Commission will be responsible for evaluating grant proposals for youth-led efforts and organizations in Yolo County and developing a grant funding plan for presentation to the Board for acceptance. The plan shall be deemed accepted by the Board unless the Board rejects the plan by a four-fifths vote, in which case the plan would return to the Commission for further consideration prior to re-presentation to the Board. This approach is similar to the procedure used for Board approval of the Community Corrections Partnership plan and provides a meaningful decision-making opportunity for the Commissioners, who will have primary responsibility for developing the grant funding plan.

To ensure continuous improvement, the Commission shall evaluate its efforts and the effectiveness of grant awards, which shall be reported to the Board and the Yolo County Superintendent of Schools at the end of each Commission term year. In addition, the grant funding agreement with YCOE contains performance measures that will be reported to the Board annually.

County Administrator staff collaborated with Yolo County Office of Education, County Counsel, and Supervisors Villegas and Saylor (as liaisons to the Youth commission).

Not applicable. As this is a grant funding agreement to another governmental agency, it is exempt from the performance of competitive procurement.