City Councilman Jack Goodwin conducted the first of these meetings at city hall Monday with a small handful of residents in attendance. Also at the meeting were Mayor Gene Hobgood and Council Members Pat Tanner, Amelia Rose and Bob Rush.
Goodwin said the city has not had any town hall meetings and plans on having them on a regular basis. He said there would be another town hall meeting scheduled in about three months.
"We want to get input from the citizens. We want to answer their questions and hear whatever issues they have and resolve them," he said. "If you live in the city and you pay taxes, you should have a say so in what happens."
Hobgood said he wants the governing processes of the city to be more open and one way to achieve that is to give its residents as many chances to sound off as possible.
"We are trying to receive as much public input as possible," Hobgood said, adding that the city can not do what the citizens want if the council members do not know what the citizens are thinking.
Chesley Davis from the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension spoke during the meeting to give tips on reducing utility bills such as frequently replacing air conditioning filters and spraying foam in holes throughout your house. She also discussed the weatherization program done by North Georgia Community Action. She said the organization has weatherized 35 homes in Cherokee County and 100 more homes can still qualify for the program, which includes services such as air sealing houses, testing refrigerators and air conditioning inspection. For more information, call (770) 345-6531.
Other issues that were discussed at the meeting include a request to have more police patrols through Birge Park and the possibility for public input from the community, especially youth groups, on the new city park at the end of Brown Industrial Parkway. Ms. Tanner said there would be opportunities for public input on the park.
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