Garner’ s nationally accredited Police Department keenly recognizes that citizen outreach and engagement are essential components of effective 21st-century policing. The Department conducts an annual citizens survey, holds a Citizens Police Academy and maintains a Citizens and Police Together team. The department has held forums on policecommunity relations and co-hosted a meeting on body-worn cameras with the NAACP, among other things. Visit garnerpd. org to learn more about the department.
A key Town service partner, Garner Volunteer Fire- Rescue, Inc., has started its own citizens academy. Visit garnerfire. com to learn more.
The Town also places significant weight on public comment and input during the updating of its longrange plans. Most recently, over a thousand residents provided input through surveys and public meetings on the Town’ s updates to its comprehensive and transportation plans( see more about these documents on pages 16-17).
To offer an idea about how your municipal government can better engage citizens, contact us at( 919) 773-4418. And, of course, you can always engage the Town through its social media(/ townofgarner).
Citizen Advisory Bodies
The most direct way citizens can participate in the Town government( short of running for elective office) is to serve on one of the Town’ s citizen advisory bodies. Here are brief descriptions of those bodies:
Board of Adjustment: Hears and decides appeals from any order, decision, requirement or interpretation made by the land-use administrator or other administrative officials in carrying out or enforcing any provisions of the Town of Garner Unified Development Ordinance. Also hears and decides applications for special exceptions and variances.
Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Advisory Committee: Provides recommendations to the Town Council about recreation services, facilities and fee policies.
Planning Commission: Advises the Town Council on matters that deal with land use, zoning, community appearance and development. Requires some candidates to have experience in fields such as architecture, planning, development, landscaping, the arts or other fields related to urban design or appearance.
Senior Citizens Advisory Committee: Serves in an advisory capacity with the Town of Garner in planning, coordinating and directing of programs and activities at the Garner Senior Center. Committee members must be eligible to participate in senior activities by being at least 55 years of age.
Veterans Advisory Committee: Acts as a public interface between Garner residents and Town officials to explore ways in which to honor and recognize the service of area veterans; assists the Town of Garner’ s planning for ceremonies, observances, holidays and events honoring veterans; interacts with local veterans organizations and assists in the preservation, operation, integrity, maintenance and upkeep of the Garner Veterans Memorial.
Downtown Garner Association( DGA): Fosters downtown revitalization through the administration of the Main Street program in a public-private partnership with the Town of Garner. This 5- to 9-member Board of Directors works with the town’ s downtown development manager to set strategic priorities for downtown economic development within a context of historic preservation.
Learn more about any of these advisory bodies by contacting the deputy town clerk at( 919) 773-4456. You can download an application requesting to serve on one of these bodies at garnernc. gov / government / townboards-and-committees.
garnernc. gov
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