CITIZENS' ACADEMY "IT'S OUR GOVERNMENT"

About the Program

Category: Civic Education and Public Information (Best in Category)

Year: 2014

The Russell County Citizens’ Academy is designed to engage citizens of Russell County, Alabama in a way that has never been accomplished before. We recognize that our citizens are the reason our County Commissioners serve and also why the many different county departments exist. The average county citizen is hopeful that their local elected officials are making decisions that have their best interests at heart and that they are also being good stewards of their tax dollars. In 2013, when a then newly elected County Commissioner pitched the idea of having a Citizens’ Academy for Russell County, his fellow County Commissioners and the citizens that were sitting in the audience felt that increasing the understanding of local government to include helping our citizens understand how it functions could be a great way of helping our citizens see that their government is working for them. This program would prove to be a great way to engage citizens to become more involved. The County Commission quickly realized that out of the nearly 60,000 county residents, only about 20 make it to most County Commission work sessions and meetings. Although the official County Commission meetings are recorded and televised on our local cable television station, many more citizens will never realize the work and effort that goes into running an efficient form of county government. Our Citizens’ Academy was intended as a way to introduce and expose county citizens to their county government and services thereby allowing each to not only participate more in their government but to also help spread the word that our system is a complex network of taxpayer funded resources and programs. It is the goal of the Russell County Commission to be as transparent as possible while answering all questions and concerns that our citizens may have.