*This class has reached full capacity. Applications are now being accepted for the waiting list.
The Bay County Board of County Commissioners will host the Bay County Citizens Academy, a program that provides a series of classes about services provided by Bay County.
“We are excited to offer this program to the public,” Bay County Commission Chairman Doug Moore said. “This will give folks an opportunity to learn everything they wanted to know about how county government works and also give us some insight on how we can better serve the public.”
Students will learn from elected county officials and county administrators about topics such as the budgeting process, where we get our drinking water, what happens to our trash, and much, much more. The class concludes with a day-long field trip to various county facilities, including Animal Control, the Emergency Operations Center, the Bay County Gun Range and more. The final portion of the class is a graduation ceremony for participating members during a Bay County Commission meeting at the Bay County Government Center.
Space is limited to the first 25 people who register. The sessions begin Monday, September 22 and will run for six weeks, with sessions being held in the morning at the Bay County Government Center. A sampling of topics includes Parks and Recreation, Animal Control, Traffic and Engineering, Veterans Services, and Emergency Management.
To view the schedule, click here.
To register for the academy, click here.
“If you are contemplating attending the Citizens Academy, I highly recommend you do so. The information I learned was invaluable both as a resident and as the opinion writer for the Bay County Coastal,” said Rex Reid, a 2024 Citizens Academy graduate. “The best part of the class is the field trip. You’ll learn what it takes to keep a county functioning at a high level and see firsthand how your property tax dollars are put to work.”
For more information, call Valerie Sale at (850) 248-8170 or Caitlin Lawrence at (850) 248-8171.