InTucker Magazine

Tucker Youth Council

September 16 saw the first meeting of the inaugural Tucker Youth Council.

Per the resolution passed by the Mayor and City Council, the Tucker Youth Council cohort was selected from a pool of student applicants. Participation was limited to sophomore through senior high school students who live within Tucker city limits. Throughout eight months, these students will meet to learn about the workings of the City of Tucker and explore civic issues.

Sixteen students gathered at Tucker Recreation Center to meet for orientation. City staff members and Youth Council supervisors Joe Stewart, Stacey Harris and Sonja Szubski opened the meeting introducing themselves and welcoming the members. This was followed by a series of icebreakers and opportunities for participants to meet each other led by Joe. Next, Sonja provided the history of Tucker’s cityhood movement and incorporation process.

Sonja and Stacey discussed how the cityhood movement decided which services the City of Tucker would offer residents at its onset: planning and zoning, code enforcement and parks and recreation. Then staff defi ned the City’s services and what those entail as well as what services are instead provided by DeKalb County or the state of Georgia.

Stacey shared the City’s next community input opportunities, the survey and open house for the Montreal Park Master Plan. Sonja implored participants to share these opportunities and encourage their friends in civic involvement.

The Tucker Youth Council also examined their group bylaws and discussed potential changes the Youth Council may decide to make with the intent to move further at next month’s meeting. The Youth Council and its staff supervisors discussed their takeaways and adjourned the meeting at 8:18 p.m. with plans to meet again on October 21.

DO YOU KNOW ALL THE TERMS THE CITY USES? HERE ARE SOME OF THE CONCEPTS THAT AROSE DURING TUCKER YOUTH COUNCIL’S FIRST MEETING.

• ZONING – the code determining a parcel of land’s use and form
• INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT – a formal arrangement between governments to work together on a specific policy or service
• PUBLIC WORKS – the combination of physical assets, management practices, policies, and personnel necessary for government to provide and sustain structures and services essential to the welfare and acceptable quality of life for its citizens (from the American Public Works Association)
• INCORPORATION – how a municipality becomes a self-governed entity
• FEASIBILITY STUDY – an analysis conducted to determine a project’s practicality and viability