Elementary and high school students made motions, voted on resolutions, and read reports at the Elsmere City Building on Feb. 11 as the city hosted its annual student council meeting.
Eleven students from local schools—spanning fifth, sixth and eighth grades—were invited to sit next to city council members, administrators, clerks, and department heads and to assume their duties in the course of a regular council meeting.
A long-running tradition in Elsmere, the event aims to promote civic engagement by teaching the processes and procedures of a city government to the local youth, with the possibility of inspiring a future generation of leaders.
Last year, the central item on the agenda was the first reading of an ordinance regulating backyard chickens in Elsmere following the termination of the city’s urban chicken pilot program. The new regulations would allow Elsmere citizens to raise up to eight non-crowing chickens— an increase from the pilot’s allotment of six—excluding roosters and turkeys.
This year, families and friends of the students filled the council chamber. An informal dinner with pizza, cakes, chips and soft drinks was held prior to the meeting. Elsmere Mayor Marty Lenhof thanked the attendees for showing up in spite of the difficult weather.
Speaking on behalf of their official counterparts, the student council unanimously voted to pass a resolution opposing the centralized collection of local occupational fees and taxes.
At the end of the meeting, each student was presented with a gift bag and a certificate for their participation.
“Without you guys, we don’t have a voice. Your voice is what makes this town works,” councilmember Joanne Barnett-Smith said in a short address to the Elsmere citizens in attendance. “Even if you don’t become a councilperson or a mayor, or a police chief or an attorney, your voice still matters in the city of Elsmere. So please let us know what you’re thinking.”