Rockdale Citizen

CONYERS - The Rockdale County Board of Commissioners announced Thursday they will now hold one of their weekly work sessions at night, beginning July 27, to allow more residents a chance to attend the meetings.The commissioners will continue to hold weekly work sessions at 8:30 a.m. Mondays, except for the fourth Monday of each month, which moves to 6:30 p.m.The Board of Commissioners' regular meetings remain the same at 10 a.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month.Residents attending recent BOC work sessions and meetings had called for a night meeting so those who work during the day could have an opportunity to attend.Rockdale County Commission Chairman Richard Oden agreed. In a written statement released Thursday, Oden said the move is part of making local government "more transparent and more accountable to the people we serve."By moving one of our work sessions to the evening, we are providing more residents with an opportunity to become informed and involved in the decision-making process," Oden said in the statement.Past attempts to become more accessible included an open house held monthly by the previous Board of Commissioners at the commissioners' office on Milstead Avenue. That meeting was informal and was more of an opportunity for residents to bring up concerns to the commissioners in person.Currently, Oden and county department heads discuss issues facing the county at the Rockdale Coalition of Homeowners and Civic Associations, which meet at night on a quarterly basis.Also, the county holds several public information hearings on projects that come throughout the year. Notices of hearings are placed on the county's cable television channel Rockdale 23.Board meetings are held in the Rockdale County Assembly Hall at 901 Main Street in Olde Town, Conyers. For more information on meetings of the Rockdale County Board of Commissioners or to be added to a meeting notification e-mail list, please e-mail County Clerk Jennifer Rutledge at jennifer.rutledge@rockdalecounty.org or call 770- 278-7009.