Fresno City Council considers $258,000 contract to run youth advisory commission

The Fresno City Council is reviewing a contract worth up to $258,048 to hire California Health Collaborative to manage the Fresno Youth Commission for one year, with two possible one-year extensions.

The Youth Commission was created in 2015 to advise the council and mayor on youth issues. It has eight voting commissioners and eight alternates — two from each council district plus two citywide appointees chosen by the mayor. Members must be between 15 and 21 years old when appointed and can serve up to two two-year terms.

The contract would pay the consultant to recruit commissioners, develop an outreach plan, and work with youth members to connect them with young people in their districts. The council tabled the item in December 2021, according to the agenda record. The current status shows it remains ready for council action.

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The staff report does not state how much of the $258,048 would pay for administrative overhead versus direct youth programming.

The Breakdown

• The contract is for one year at first, with two possible one-year extensions, totaling up to $258,048.
• California Health Collaborative was recommended by a city selection committee after responding to a request for proposals.
• The consultant’s job includes recruiting diverse candidates, developing an outreach plan, and working with commissioners to connect with young people in their districts.
• Youth commissioners are supposed to act as liaisons between the city council and young residents, representing student and community youth populations.

What This Means for You

The city council controls whether $258,048 goes to this contract and whether an outside organization rather than city staff runs a commission that advises your elected officials. If you care about how the city involves young people in decisions, or whether this amount is good value for managing a 16-member advisory board, this is the spending item that decides it. The council can approve it, reject it, or ask for a different arrangement.

What to Watch

California Health Collaborative gets $258,048 to manage the commission. The staff report does not break down how much of that pays for the consultant’s own administrative costs versus how much reaches the young people it is supposed to serve. What does the city actually get for this amount? Is there a cheaper way to recruit 16 young people, schedule meetings, and develop outreach? Could city staff do this job without hiring a contractor? The material does not answer those questions. A council member could ask for the cost breakdown and a comparison to what it would cost to run this in-house before voting.