The Queen Creek Town Council has officially created an advisory committee that will give teens a greater voice in the issues that affect them.

At its Wednesday meeting, the council unanimously voted to adopt an ordinance creating the Mayor’s Teen Advisory Committee.

“They are such an important part of our residency here, and our leadership extends to not only those that pay taxes or own businesses but to our youth, and how important they are to us and how important it is for us to hear directly from our youth,” Mayor Julia Wheatley said before the vote.

The Mayor’s Teen Advisory Committee has been a long-time goal of Wheatley’s, starting in her early days on the council.

The need for such a committee took on an added urgency following the death of Combs High School student Preston Lord who was attacked during a house party in Queen Creek on Oct. 28. He died of his injuries on Oct. 30. Seven young men and teens have been charged in Lord’s death.

As part of the committee’s creation, Wheatley hosted a teen summit in May to hear first-hand from teens about their concerns and needs.

“This information we used as the foundation, as the basis, for our mayor’s teen advisory program,” Wheatley said. “It’s so important for us to have that, for us to partner together to take their advice and incorporate that as to how we can help this next generation.”

According to a council staff report, the teen committee will focus on:

• Addressing concerns and challenges affecting teens in the community.
• Organizing and participating in volunteer projects and initiatives.
• Providing input on policies and programs that impact teens.
• Planning teen-oriented events, workshops and forums.

• Advocating for the needs and interests of teens to local government and community stakeholders.
• Promoting civic engagement and educating peers about local governance.
• Building connections with other teen organizations, officials and community leaders for collaboration and support.

The town’s fiscal year 2024-25 budget allocated $88,100 to staff and program the teen committee’s activities.

“This amount includes a portion of the costs of a recreation coordinator plus supplies and materials. This funding will be used to facilitate meetings, work sessions, service projects, training, marketing and outreach efforts, miscellaneous supplies, and events hosted by teens. This allocation ensures that the committee can actively pursue its planned initiatives and community engagement throughout the fiscal year,” the staff report stated.

The mayor also discussed the need for safe spaces for teens to gather outside of schools, pointing out that the aquatic and recreation center currently being built at the newly opened Frontier Family Park will have a dedicated teen space when it opens next spring.

The town has also launched LINK, Friday night events at the Recreation Annex where teens can listen to music, play games and just hang out.

“We continue to invest in our youth with all the various different amenities from the new Frontier Family Park to the new pump track to the new Phase 2 of Manel Carter Oasis Park,” Wheatley said. “We’re creating these safe spaces for our youth to get out to be with other youth in a good environment.”

The town is still accepting applications for the advisory committee from teens ages 13 to 18 who attend schools in Queen Creek. So far, 27 interest forms have been received. The application period has been extended from July 22 to Sept. 9.

With the council passing the ordinance creating the Mayor’s Teen Advisory Committee, a 30-day waiting period has started before the ordinance goes into effect. Starting Sept. 19, a committee will begin interviewing applicants and will then send its recommendations to the town council.

At its Oct. 2 meeting, the council will appoint the members of the teen advisory committee, with successful applicants set to gather for their first meeting on Oct. 15.

The application for the Mayor’s Teen Advisory Council can be found at QueenCreekAZ.gov/Teens.

We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Janet Perez can be reached at jperez@iniusa.org.