Jason Parker: Information is key to understanding local government

Published 2:48 pm Thursday, September 27, 2018

Have you ever wondered what happens in city government between council meetings?

Where does your tax money go? What process does the city of Dalton and its officials use to determine what services to provide, and how much is enough? What goes into the decisions made by city elected officials and their employees who carry out the mission daily?

City of Dalton leaders and employees want to engage you with an inside look at our operations, and an up-close conversation with the city workers who serve you 24 hours a day. You can join us for five Tuesday evenings in October to get the rest, and the most important part, of the story. Dalton’s first-ever Citizen’s Government Academy starts Tuesday, and there’s still time to join us. It’s even OK if you have to miss a session, but we don’t think you will want to.

Why go this route, why go to the effort, you may be asking? The truth is that our local media partners work diligently to keep you informed, but their reporters can only be so many places, and only so much time is available.

Georgia has the most transparency when it comes to who can see government documents and who can attend meetings, but even our media partners must know what to ask, where to look. All the information you need to know about local government in our community is there for the asking, but the average person may not even know what to ask, or where to start. The city of Dalton would like to engage with all of our citizens to fast-forward the process of informing you on what your public servants do, how they serve you around the clock, and how we plan our work.

This is the first in a series of initiatives to provide transparency and accountability to the community we serve. In the coming months we hope to hear more from you in a community survey, and get your input on developing a comprehensive strategy that will lead to positive outcomes for Dalton and all of its residents.

Your part for now can be joining us to hear about the process we use, and services we provide directly to you. That’s it, really. Local government’s main function is to provide service. Join us by registering at www.cityofdalton-ga.gov/govacad. No pressure, just a personal conversation with you, and the ability for you to ask questions. Down the road, you will know where to start when checking your local government’s report card, and you will know what to ask.

If you have questions before you register, feel free to give us a call at (706) 529-2403. We look forward to seeing you there!

Jason Parker is the city of Dalton administrator.