SAN BENITO — What does the city do?
How much money is in the city budget?
What are the functions of the many departments within the city?
These are all the types of questions the curious might ask.
The answers can be found at the San Benito Citizens Academy, a program that is currently registering students for its third annual class.
The classes are part of a two-and-half-month-long program designed to give residents an inside look at the city.
Residents will be able to learn about various aspects of the city, such as operations, values and philosophy of the municipal government.
Participants will learn how city departments operate and at the end will better understand the challenges the community faces as it prepares for growth and development, officials said.
“There are many perceptions about how and why city projects are created, funded and put into action,” officials said.
“In many cases, there are state and federal laws that impact what we can and cannot do. The Citizens Academy sessions will address these topics and include discussions and in-person visits to various city facilities, including the police and fire departments, water and wastewater treatment plants and City Hall.”
Resident, educator, activist and concerned citizen Dr. Enriqueta Ramos is a strong advocate of the Citizens Academy and has taken the classes herself.
She continually says, if you want to make a difference in your community, you have to be involved in it and understand it.
By participating in the Citizens Academy, Ramos said her eyes were opened to the inner workings of the city.
The goal of the program is to provide residents a deeper understanding of what they do while forging a stronger relationship with the community.
“If you are going to live here you should be a constructive citizen,” Ramos said. “If you don’t like what’s happening, get out there and talk to the people who can change things.”
The participants will be given an in-depth presentation by every department. They will be able to experience real-life scenarios on many different topics.
Sessions will be interactive, and officials said every effort will be made to keep the participants interested and engaged.
Participants must be at least 18 years old to participate.
Some of the classes could be held on the weekend, depending on the content.
Instructors are city department heads and personnel from the department who will speak on their areas of expertise.
Prospective students will be notified after they are selected.
Other communities have held courses like this, which have become very popular.
