What to expect as Lula City Council Member?

Meetings you will be expected to attend:

• City Council Meeting at 7:00pm on the 3^rd Monday of each month
• Council Work Session at 6:00pm on the 2^nd Monday of each month
• Another called Work Session to be announced in months when a topic merits more than an hour discussion or requires meeting with consultants or other government officials.
• Committee Meetings: You will be assigned to approximately 3 to 4 committees which consist of 2 Council Members. Committees do not meet every month; however, some committees may meet 3 times in a 4 to 6 week period such as during April and May prior to adoption of the budget. Committees are especially important as we start new projects or events and may meet more often during those efforts. These meetings typically last from 1 to 4 hours depending on the purpose of the meeting.
• JMA Meetings: The Joint Municipal Association of Hall County sponsors 3 or 4 dinner meetings each year where Council Members of all Member Cities are expected to attend along with the Mayors and City Managers. These meetings are typically hosted by one of the Member Cities to showcase something in their City.  These meetings are an excellent chance to meet people and discuss issues and solutions to common problems.
• Council Retreat: There could be as many as 2 retreats per year and they are typically 6 to 8 hour events. We usually go to another City for these meetings to be able to hear and see what they have done that we might want to do. These meetings focus on long range planning and identifying resources for funding our “big ideas”.
• Georgia Municipal Association Annual Conference: Typically held in Savannah during late June, this is an opportunity for concentrated training and education courses on topics of interest to Cities across Georgia.  Again, it is a great opportunity to meet Council Members and Mayors from cities across Georgia and discuss issues and ideas. This meeting runs from Thursday through Tuesday.
• Newly Elected Officials Training: Typically held in a North Georgia City and a South Georgia City your attendance at this is required by Georgia Law within a year of your election. Last year these were held in Athens and Tifton. This is a two and a half day event, usually Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
• Other Training Opportunities: Training is important because Cities typically have issues, requirements and responsibilities that are not always visible to the general public. The Department of Community Affairs (DCA), Carl Vinson Training Institute and the Georgia Municipal Association sponsor other training opportunities for elected officials throughout the year. One of the first recommended training courses is related to Financial Reporting and Audits required for municipal governments.  Please see the GMA website for a complete listing of the training at: www.gmanet.com
• Community Events: Your participation is requested at City sponsored Community Events such as the Railroad Days parade, Christmas in the Park and others from time to time. This is an opportunity to show the public that we have an active and involved Council so please plan to make time to participate.
• First Responder Luncheon and Employee Appreciation Picnic/Luncheon: These are two events we held this year where Mayor and Council participated in preparing and serving lunch for these two very important groups. Please plan to help cook or serve at these events when scheduled.

Other Responsibilities:

• Ride through your district each month just prior to the Council Work Session and select one home as “Yard of the Month”. Submit this to Rosemary prior to the Work Session.
• Complete Pay Request, Expense Report and Mileage Report and submit to the City Clerk by the day after the Council Meeting. Our reporting month runs from the day after a Council Meeting to the day of the next Council Meeting. Your pay check and expense check will be prepared and distributed on the Friday following the Council Meeting.
• You will be assigned an email address to be used for official correspondence. Please plan to check this email account each day to receive timely notice of things that will require your attention and communication from the Mayor, City Manager and other Council Members.
• You will be assigned a mail tray in City Hall where mail addressed to you or printed council correspondence will be placed for you. Please plan to stop by and check this during regular office hours at least twice a week.
• Open Communications: Please talk to the Mayor, City Manager and other Council Members between meetings. Get to know them, find out what they do between City meetings and discuss your shared vision for Lula. It will make the process of making decisions much easier.

Our Community is growing day by day, the challenge for all of us is to make decisions that will help us manage quality growth now and into the future!

Last but not least, did we mention all the hard work can be very rewarding along with the challenges in keeping Lula a great place to call HOME!