Manteca’s elected leaders — in a bid to build a community that’s appealing to young professionals expected to shape the bulk of economic growth in the next 20 years — are asking millennials for advice.

The City Council meets tonight at 6 o’clock to fill a nine-member Millennial Advisory Committee from 16 applicants.

The council decided in late January to form the committee in a bid to stay on top of changing demographics and values as well as secure the workforce needed to remain prosperous as the years unfold. It is a strategy many large cities employ but is fairly rare among jurisdictions under 200,000 residents. Manteca has a population of 85,000.

Members must be residents of the City of Manteca and born between 1980 and 2000. They will serve a two-year term starting July 1.

Those who applied for the position are Alfred Gabriel Herrero, Crystal Motoko’s, Edward Marcel, Erica Puno Thomas, Erik Lee Cazares, Grant Cabral, Heather Anderson, Lance Arthur Elliott Jr., Lauren Riley Blot, Mellissa Bulgarian-Campos, Michael Derek Diaz, Michelle Andretta, Scott Christian Jorgensen, Tanner P. Karly, Treyvon Hutchison, and William Lloyd Perry III.

The council delayed appointing the committee until they could conduct in-person interviews. The 6 p.m. meeting takes place at the Civic Center council chambers, 1001 W. Center St.

Nationally millennials now make up 50 percent of the workforce.

Manteca already has a youth advisory commission and a senior advisory commission.

In the past — about 25 years ago — the youth advisory commission did more than just stage recreation events. They advised the elected council on the views of teen-agers on a wide array of subjects such as curfew, cruising, and the need for amenities such as a skate park.

The senior advisory commission basically helps oversee the operations of the Manteca Senior Center and programs offered there.

The council’s plans for the millennial advisory committee are a bit different. They want the group they appoint to:

*Help develop initiatives on attracting and retaining millennial residents.
*Connect the millennial generation to engagement opportunities — service clubs were offered as an example — with the larger community.

*Create a mentorship model to engage those who are now or returning to active civic involvement.

*Provide recommendations regarding programs and actions aimed at making Manteca “a desirable place to live, work and create.”

*Merge the “existing worlds of the tried and true community professionals with the next wave of business owners, advocates, and residents.”

The council also wants the committee’s goals to touch on the city’s financial future, social justice, community and neighborhood development, and motivation and technology.

Council members in January noted millennials are powering the bulk of Manteca’s growth based on new and existing home sales.  They also noted the goals and desires are not carbon copies of previous generations.

The only current council member that falls into the millennial age group is Gary Singh.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com