The Town of Camp Verde has launched a new Citizens’ Academy program this year, which started on March 4. The program run every Tuesday through April 22, and is intended to explain the operations of local government and how each department within the town works in relation to the others. One of the most recent sessions, led by Town Manager Miranda Fisher, dealt with town governance and the next addressed public works.
Upcoming sessions will cover parks, recreation and library services; public safety and municipal court; human resources and risk management; community development; finance and economic development; and natural resources management.
Fisher said that the Town Council had called for the development of a Citizens’ Academy. “We’ll actually have all 12 departments come over the course of eight weeks,” she said.
A number of attendees asked questions about working for the town, with Fisher referring them to the town website as the best way to get a government job. She also promoted the town’s benefits package for employees and identified traits that civil servants look for in candidates.
“You have to be very community-minded, customer service friendly and customer service up front,” Fisher said.
“Doing a deep dive into it is interesting,” said former council candidate Dave Inman, who attended the the March 11 session. He commented that the primary characteristic people who want to get involved in local government should have is care and concern for their local populace and that he believed it was a calling to serve in local government.
Fisher said that a second Citizens’ Academy will be held in the future, possibly in a couple of months
