14th Annual Georgia Cities Week Kicks Off This Sunday

Although national and state news often gets the spotlight, people have the most interaction with their city and county governments, topics many kids and adults know little about. That's exactly why the Georgia Municipal Association is kicking off its 14th annual Georgia Cities Week, which runs this Sunday, April 13, to Saturday, April 19. Each year's series of events has a theme, and this year's is "People, Place and Purpose."

"These are the governments [county and city] that people have the most contact with in their lives, so they should know about them," said Amy Henderson, director of communications and marketing for the Georgia Municipal Association.

Throughout the week, more than 100 cities will host events, from open houses at city facilities and displays of public equipment to volunteering projects as part of Keep Georgia Beautiful, a statewide effort consisting of cleanup and recycling projects. Other events include mock city council meetings at schools — to educate students about how their local governments operate — and art galas recognizing professional artists' and high school students' work. The municipal association dispensed resource packets in January to inspire cities to develop their own unique agendas.

"It's always really exciting to see people come out and learn about their city government," Henderson said, "but also to really feel like they're part of the community. It's important to take that pause to appreciate that thing that makes their city special — and it's always the people who live and work there."

To learn more about events taking place in your community, visit the Georgia Municipal Association website.