County Opens Door To New Citizens Academy

Posted on: Sep 6th, 2011 | Announcements

If you want to know how county government works ? how decisions are made, what the lines of authority are, who is accountable for what ? Mobile county commissioners invite you to attend the inaugural class of the Mobile County Citizens Academy starting this fall. ?We want to give our residents a very close-up and personalized view of their county government ? from roads to jails and from the courts to the county clean-up crews,? said County Commission president Connie Hudson. Participants will meet all the top decision-makers in the county, including elected officials and top administrators. They will see how $1 million builds one mile of roadway, and how the county goes about choosing road improvement projects. They will get a look at the all budgeted dollars and weigh in on how to spend them. They will get their day in court and their day with the SWAT team. ?We think if we are open and candid with the public that we will make allies,? said County Commissioner Merceria Ludgood. ?We want to know their issues and concerns and we want them to know our successes and our challenges.? Participants will meet seven times over an eight-month program year. Most programs will be held on Thursday evenings from 5:45 p.m. to 8 p.m. A light dinner will be served. The classes will take place at various venues, as dictated by the subject matter for the evening. The program is open to all Mobile County residents 21 years of age or older, including those living in municipalities within the county. Interested persons may apply by downloading an application at the county website, www.mobilecountyal.gov. Class size will be limited and all applications must be postmarked or received by October 1. ?We hope that we will be able to continue our relationship with these participants once they leave the program,? said county Commissioner Mike Dean. ?These are the types of people we hope we can turn to for feedback on important issues.? ###