Residents who wish to learn more about their county government and how it works for them are encouraged to register for the Citizens Government Academy.

"It allows citizens to meet their government in person, allows them to go behind the scenes of Dawson County and their many departments that make up the county and find out what it's all about," said Ginny Peiffer, executive assistant to the county manager of Dawson County.

The free 10-week course, starting Sept. 2, will be at various locations throughout the county on Tuesday's, 6 to 8:30 p.m. with the last meeting Oct. 28.

The sessions will cover emergency services, finance, parks and recreation, planning and zoning, law enforcement, court systems, special projects, and many other vital community services.

Participants will also be honored for completing the course at 6 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Board of Commissioners meeting and will have a reception following.

The success of the academy has been great in the past, Peiffer said.

"I think it allows citizens to know how the government works for them, how the different departments cooperate together to make Dawson County a great place to live and work and it gives them an in-depth look at those activities and those departments," she said.

Applicants must be 18 years old and be a resident of the United States. If interested, registration is ongoing now and will continue until Aug. 29.

For more information, please call (706) 344-3501 or email gpeiffer@dawsoncounty.org.