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Council reviews new Citizens Government Academy plan; applications to open in February
Summary
City Secretary Chloe Slotsky outlined a six-week Citizens Government Academy aimed at giving residents an introduction to city government; applications will open Feb. 5 with a 20-person target class size.
Chloe Slotsky, Carrollton city secretary, presented an updated Citizens Government Academy to City Council on Jan. 21, outlining curriculum, logistics and outreach plans for the new program.
Slotsky said the academy will be a six-week course designed to give residents a deeper understanding of city services and departments. The program is modeled in part on a previous Mayor’s Advisory Council and a two-year pilot that had meetings every other month; the new version is intended to be a single six-week session held once per year on Wednesday evenings from 6 to 9 p.m. Slotsky proposed up to 20 participants per class and said graduation requires attendance at 75% of sessions. The program will be free to Carrollton residents aged 18 and older.
Slotsky described planned class themes mapped to council vision areas (home, hospitality, optimized, motivating, economical) and said locations for sessions would rotate so participants could visit city facilities. She also described outreach to younger people through school programs and internships and said staff will partner with marketing to promote the academy. Applications are scheduled to open Feb. 5 and close Feb. 21; Slotsky said she would reach out to boards-and-commissions applicants who were not selected to encourage participation.
Council members asked about anticipated application volume and marketing; Slotsky said she would welcome many applications and, if necessary, would screen for residency and other qualifications or simply take the first 20 applicants. She said the city will partner with marketing on social media outreach and will email board-and-commission applicants directly.
Slotsky said the program will be free, targeted at adults, and planned to be repeatable annually; staff will return to council as needed for related program updates.
