City Academy seminars to begin November 2nd 2016

The City of Prineville has scheduled its first City Academy seminar for November 2nd 2016 starting at the Meadow Lakes Golf Course at 6:30 pm. Each seminar will last approximately an hour and a half.

Modeled after the successful Crook County Sheriff’s Citizen’s Academy seminars, the City Academy’s goal is to communicate with, educate, and involve the public in all aspects of city government.

“This first seminar will be a basic overview about how the city’s finances work,” said Steve Forrester, Prineville’s City Manager.

Covering the basics of the city’s budget in laymen’s terms, city staff will describe governmental budgeting and the components of the budget – the General Fund, Utilities Fund, Enterprise Fund (rail road, golf course) and the other funds.

“We will describe where our revenues come from; what it costs, for example, to fund the police department, what it costs to fund the water system, how we collect money to operate those systems, and how we calculate utility rates,” said Forrester.

The city will also explain the process of long term planning and how that ties into the city’s strategic and capital plans.

The format of the seminars, which are being scheduled for the fall/winter months, is to use the first 45 minutes for information sharing by city staff, followed by approximately 30 minutes of resident questions and feedback.

“We really want this to be two-way communication, a forum where information is shared both ways. Future seminars will be determined by the feedback we get from participants. City budgeting, the basis for everything the city is able to do, is a good place to start,” added Forrester.

Four seminars are planned. November 2nd 2016, January, February, and March 2017. Topics may include System Development Charges (SDC’s), Electrical Franchise Fees, Public Safety, etc.; whatever participants feel is most interesting to them.

“I’m really excited about this. This is going to be a different format, a more relaxed setting, for us to share information with the public,” said Forrester.

Another goal of the seminars is that, with the City Council and department heads present and involved, participants will be able to gauge whether they might be interested in a city government role.

“We’re also hoping that these seminars will develop and recruit the next generation of volunteers for city government,” said Forrester.

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