Chapter 1.110
WENATCHEE JUNIOR CITY COUNCIL
Sections:
1.110.080 Subcommittee structure.
1.110.010 Created.
There is hereby created and established a Wenatchee junior city council in and for the city of Wenatchee. Any reference to “JCC” in this chapter shall mean the Wenatchee junior city council. (Ord. 2025-06 § 2 (Exh. A))
1.110.020 Purpose.
The JCC shall serve as an advisory body to the regularly elected or appointed Wenatchee city council (city council), on youth aspects of all city functions, including but not limited to finance, public works, parks, recreation, cultural services, community development, information technology, public safety, and human resources. Because the JCC is purely an advisory body to the city council, the JCC meetings are not required to comply with the Open Public Meetings Act, Chapter 42.30 RCW. Any reference to “city council” in this chapter shall mean the regularly elected or appointed city council for the city of Wenatchee. (Ord. 2025-06 § 2 (Exh. A))
1.110.030 Goals.
The JCC shall promote leadership skills and the communication of ideas of youth, particularly as they relate to local representative government and governmental services. The JCC’s goals shall be to:
(1) Find solutions for local youth problems and report these to the city council.
(2) Provide community youth with an outlet for expressing interests and opinions regarding:
(a) City ordinances, proposed ordinances and other matters that might lend themselves to future ordinances.
(b) City policies, proposed policies and other matters that might lend themselves to future policies.
(c) Action that the city is taking or action that the city is considering.
(3) Consider issues in light of the legal parameters applicable to city action.
(4) Help make the public, including the youth of the city, aware of the action of the city council and the role the JCC can play in connection therewith.
(5) Suggest ways to improve the quality of life for young people, and suggest other programs beneficial and of interest to the youth of the city. (Ord. 2025-06 § 2 (Exh. A))
1.110.040 Membership.
(1) Amount of Members and Appointment/Confirmation of Members. The JCC shall consist of seven voting members and two alternate members. The voting members and the alternate members shall be appointed by the mayor, and confirmed by the city council.
(2) Appointment/Confirmation Process.
(a) The appointment and confirmation of voting members and alternate members shall be based upon consideration of criteria including, but not limited to: interest in government, positive participation in civics classes, academic accomplishments, involvement in school and community activities and other factors that identify a prospective member as a valuable contributor to the JCC.
(b) The mayor and city council shall endeavor to include representative members of the city’s population onto the JCC and shall strive to seek proportional representation of members from public and private schools, charter schools as well as the home school community, and to the extent reasonably possible from the various city council districts as well.
(3) Eligibility.
(a) All members on the JCC shall:
(i) Be enrolled and in good standing in a high school program in the Wenatchee School District jurisdictional limits and shall remain enrolled during their entire term of office;
(ii) Be a home school student who resides in the city of Wenatchee that has a rank of freshman through senior and shall remain a resident during their entire term of office; or
(iii) Be a student who resides in the city of Wenatchee, but attends a high school located outside the Wenatchee School District jurisdictional limits, e.g., a school in another school district; provided, that the student shall be enrolled and in good standing in that district’s high school program, and shall remain a student in good standing and a city of Wenatchee resident during their entire term of office; and provided further, that no more than one member of the JCC may attend a school outside of the Wenatchee School District jurisdictional limits.
(b) Interested students shall file a completed application with the city clerk. Applications and recommendation forms may be obtained from the city clerk.
(c) If a voting member or an alternate member is no longer eligible to serve, then that member’s position shall be deemed vacant upon the event that caused the ineligibility.
(4) No Compensation. The JCC members and alternate members shall serve without compensation.
(5) Removal. The city council may remove any JCC voting member or alternate member at any time if the city council determines that the member is not fulfilling their responsibilities to the satisfaction of the city council. Voting members and alternate members of the JCC who fail to attend two consecutive regular meetings of the JCC without being excused by a majority of the JCC shall forfeit their positions on and be automatically removed from the JCC without any further action by the city council.
(6) Vacancy. In the event of a vacancy on the JCC, an already appointed and confirmed alternate member shall be appointed by a vote of the majority of the remaining voting members of the JCC to fill the unexpired term of the vacated voting member. If there are no alternate members or if the vacating member is an alternate member, then the mayor shall appoint, subject to confirmation by the city council, a member to replace the vacated member. If possible, the mayor shall appoint a voting member or alternate member, as the case may be, who attends the same school as the vacated member.
(7) Chairperson. The JCC voting members will elect a chairperson from among themselves; provided, that an alternate member may not serve as the chairperson. The chairperson will be elected annually at the first meeting following the beginning of the school year. The chairperson will be allowed to vote on all matters.
(8) Alternate Members. Alternate members to the JCC shall act as members of the JCC for all purposes except they may not vote, unless appointed to serve in the place of an absent voting member. Alternate members are required to attend all JCC regular and special meetings, unless excused.
(9) City Council Liaison. The city council, by majority vote, shall appoint a city council member to serve as liaison to the JCC, participating as a nonvoting ex-officio member of the JCC, to encourage and counsel the members of the JCC in connection with their duties as members of the JCC. (Ord. 2025-06 § 2 (Exh. A))
1.110.050 Term of office.
Except for the initial voting members and alternate members to the JCC, each member and alternate member shall serve a term of two years. Terms of office shall run from September 1st of the first year of appointment through August 31st of the second year of appointment; provided, that for the initial members to the JCC, four of the voting members and one alternate member shall be appointed for terms commencing upon appointment and confirmation, and expiring on August 31st of the following year; and three of the voting members and one alternate member shall be appointed for terms commencing upon appointment and confirmation, and expiring on August 31st of the second following year. Thereafter, voting members and alternate members shall be appointed in staggered terms for the full two years, commencing with the expiration of the term of those they succeed. The JCC members shall serve only one term; provided, that an additional two-year term for JCC members may be allowed so long as (1) the member reapplies to be a member of the JCC and is anticipated to be a student as described in WCC 1.110.040(3) during the entire additional term; and (2) the mayor reappoints the member and the city council reconfirms the reappointment. (Ord. 2025-06 § 2 (Exh. A))
1.110.060 Responsibilities.
(1) The JCC shall be responsible for:
(a) Holding regular meetings as required in WCC 1.110.070, pursuant to a regular agenda, and to keep a written record of its proceedings which shall be a public record, all in accordance with state law;
(b) Serving as youth advisors to the city council;
(c) Adopting rules of procedure for the regular operation of the JCC;
(d) Providing outreach to the community in an effort to place youth issues before our citizens in a positive manner;
(e) Providing to the city clerk copies of the minutes of its meetings; and
(f) Delivering an oral report to the city council, on at least an annual basis, providing a summary and analysis of the JCC work in the prior calendar year as well as a report on its anticipated work program for the following year.
(2) Voting members and alternate members of the JCC are encouraged to attend meetings of the city council as well as meetings of the various boards and commissions of the city. (Ord. 2025-06 § 2 (Exh. A))
1.110.070 Meetings.
(1) Regular and Special Meetings. The regular meetings of the JCC shall be held once per month on the first Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m., and shall be held at the Wenatchee City Hall or at a location as published in the meeting notice. The chairperson or a majority of the voting members and alternate members may call for a special meeting.
(2) Presiding Officer. The chairperson shall preside over the meetings of the JCC. In the absence of the chairperson at a meeting, the voting members of the JCC shall select a voting member of the JCC in attendance at the meeting to preside over such meeting.
(3) Quorum. A quorum of members must be present to vote on matters. A quorum of the JCC shall consist of a majority of all members (voting and alternate members). Members, including alternate members, who are aware that they will be unavailable or unable to attend a regular or special meeting shall notify the city clerk no later than one business day prior to the meeting. If a member is absent at the time the chairperson calls roll at a meeting, the chairperson may appoint an alternate member in attendance at the meeting to serve as a voting member. The alternate member shall serve as a voting member until the adjournment of that meeting.
(4) Action. Action may only be taken at a regular or special meeting. Action may be taken by a majority of voting members present at the meeting unless otherwise required by Robert’s Rules of Order or the JCC rules of procedure. Action means “action” or “final action” as defined in RCW 42.30.020, as it now appears or is hereafter amended.
(5) Public Meeting. The JCC is encouraged to invite the public to their meetings.
(6) Conduct. Members of the JCC shall display mutual courtesy, patience and appropriate behavior in all meetings of the JCC, and in any interactions with city staff, the mayor, and city council.
(7) Parliamentary Procedure. Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised Edition, shall be used as the basis for parliamentary procedure at all meetings of the JCC and any of its subcommittees.
(8) Minutes. Any action taken by the JCC at a regular or special meeting shall be reduced to writing and shall be included in the minutes. (Ord. 2025-06 § 2 (Exh. A))
1.110.080 Subcommittee structure.
(1) The JCC may informally divide its members into subcommittees to consider different topics of interest, or into subcommittees that it deems helpful to its tasks.
(2) The subcommittees will meet on an as-needed basis.
(3) The subcommittees shall consist of no more than three voting members and one alternate member. If a voting member is absent from a subcommittee meeting, the present subcommittee voting members may appoint an alternate member in attendance to serve as a subcommittee voting member and to cast a vote. Once the subcommittee meeting is commenced, the alternate member shall serve as a subcommittee voting member until adjournment of the meeting.
(4) Any discussions or recommendations of any subcommittees shall be communicated to and shared with the full JCC. (Ord. 2025-06 § 2 (Exh. A))
1.110.090 Staff support.
The mayor shall appoint city staff as the mayor deems appropriate to assist the JCC in the preparation of its reports and records as are necessary for the operation of the JCC. (Ord. 2025-06 § 2 (Exh. A))