Manteca is ripping a page from the playbook of cities such as Omaha, Philadelphia, and Charlotte that are striving to stay on top of changing demographics and values as well as assuring their cities can secure the workforce needed to remain prosperous  as the years unfold.

The City Council is forming a Millennial Advisory Committee. It will be composed of nine members appointed to terms of two years. Members must be residents of the City of Manteca and born between 1980 and 2000.

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

“(The committee can) assist in building a community of the future with a quality of life they are looking for,” noted Mayor Ben Cantu.

Cantu and Singh brought back the idea of forming a millennial advisory committee after attending a League of California Cities conference.

Council members noted millennials are powering the bulk of Manteca’s growth based on new and existing home sales.  Their goals and desires and not carbon copies of previous generations, Cantu pointed out.

“We have a lot of young families,” Cantu said. “Manteca is in transition.”

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 was 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.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com