City Launches Three New Community Engagement Programs

The City of San Angelo is launching a trio of new citizen engagement initiatives, headlined by a citizens academy dubbed COSA U.

The first offering of the effort will be a Citizens 101 free presentation on indoor air quality titled “Healthy Air, Healthy Home” at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 26, in the east mezzanine reception room at City Hall, 72 W. College Ave. Please confirm attendance at cosatx.us/citizens101.

Each of the three new initiatives is designed to encourage citizens to become more involved in their municipal government and to assist them in building a more positive, sustainable community.

“The City of San Angelo sincerely desires to have our citizens consistently and integrally involved in the governance of our community,” City Manager Daniel Valenzuela said. “We’re committed to doing a better job of engaging citizens. These three programs represent a focused effort to do just that.”

COSA U (as in City of San Angelo University) is a nine-month program from September through May that will seek to inform and illuminate up to 25 citizens on how and why their city government works as it does. Among the topics to be explored are community and economic development, water, public safety, neighborhoods and opportunities to serve.

The class will meet at 5:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month for an hour and a half in varying City facilities. There is no cost to participate. The only requirements are that participants be at least 18 years old, live inside the city limits and fill out a short application at cosatx.us/cosau. A panel of City officials will choose the program’s participants.

“COSA U’s mission will be twofold,” Valenzuela said. “One, we’re looking to cultivate citizen volunteers willing to serve on our 19 boards and commissions. Two, we want to develop some well-informed community ambassadors who can explain to their families, friends, neighbors and co-workers how and why City government operates as it does.”

The two other new initiatives will alternate monthly.

Citizens 101 will provide hands-on learning opportunities that will equip participants with knowledge of specific programs, issues, tools and resources. The hour-long sessions are open to the public and will begin at 5:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month, generally in City Hall’s east mezzanine reception room. Future topics will include the basics of home ownership, fighting neighborhood blight and emergency management.

A new Lunch and Learn series will provide information about specific City services and regulations to targeted industry professionals. The gatherings will be at noon on the second Thursday of the month in the east reception room of City Hall. The first session on Sept. 11 will focus on the City’s Geographic Information System’s mapping capabilities. Future topics will include landlord and tenant issues and San Angelo’s sign ordinance.

Each Citizens 101 and Lunch and Learn session will be posted on the City’s calendar at cosatx.us/calendar.

For more information about any of the new offerings, contact the Public Information Office at [email protected] or 325-481-2727.