From the Mayor

It (almost) goes without saying that communication is key to any successful relationship. We all know it fosters trust, comfort and confidence for all parties, but we don’t all always know how BEST to communicate. Among the city’s staff and elected officials, we’re always working on that.

As the City, we take seriously our responsibility to be transparent and communicative with our residents and businesses. I’m proud of the job our communications team does, but it’s a job that’s never finished, and requires constant attention. You can find information about the City and all of our business, meetings, events, volunteer and input opportunities and much more on various social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor and LinkedIn. We publish a weekly Monday morning email announcing upcoming meetings and City events. We print, mail and digitally share this magazine every month, and of course there is our website. Tuckerga.gov is very robust and comprehensive: You can find recaps of city council meetings (written and full video), various calendars of events including community-run events that are shared with us, contact information for our staff members, and details on all of our processes and departments. As comprehensive as the website is, we have heard and can see for ourselves that it has become a bit cumbersome to navigate, so we are excited to share that we are undergoing a redesign that is scheduled to launch this summer. Our City communicators are a talented crew and work hard to share city news and announcements in creative and engaging ways.

One change you may have noticed is that the city itself no longer shares or engages on the various private and community Facebook groups. We’ve found that by sharing and occasionally engaging on sites other than our own, some of our constituents have gotten the idea that if they simply post or comment on any one of the 20+ community sites run by community members, the right person with the city will see it and take the appropriate action. Of course, there is no way for us to ensure that consistently happens, and we don’t want to contribute to any misunderstanding. There is just no way our staff can monitor them all and respond in a timely and effective manner.

This begs the question, “What is the best way to communicate with the City of Tucker”? Your first best point of contact is usually your elected representatives. If you have an idea, a question, or a complaint, we’re here to serve. Our emails are listed on tuckerga.gov, and although none of us spend our days at city hall, we have phones there that will forward your voice message to us. If you need help with something like public safety, business licensing, or any of the services provided by the city, you might want to contact the relevant department directly. Those contacts are also on the website, and we’re publishing here in this issue. Beyond that, there are a number of other ways to reach us: As a body, the Council and I meet twice a month on the second and fourth Mondays, in addition to a range of other public meetings. In addition to opportunities for public comment and public hearings at those meetings, we are usually available before and afterward to chat about whatever’s on your mind. Our staff is available during regular business hours via phone and email as well.

The point is, we want you to know how to get the responsive service you need from the city. While social media is great for many things, it is not a direct line of communication with, or for getting action from, your city’s government. For that, the direct route is always best, and I hope these contacts will be helpful.