Are out-of-town retreats needed?

Powder Springs’ sessions at Brasstown Valley Resort prompt discussion.

Over the last several years, Powder Springs officials travel to the North Georgia mountains, usually in March, to spend a few days at the stateowned Brasstown Valley Resort in Young Harris for their annual planning retreat. They are set for another retreat early next month, also at Brasstown Valley.

During their March 2014 retreat, city officials spent $8,608, according to then City Clerk Dawn Davis, who retired in December. Costs were $3,673 for lodging and the meeting facility, $3,400 for the facilitator from the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute, $692 for meals, $480 for mileage reimbursement and $363 for audiovisual equipment.

The March 2011 retreat included not only Mayor Pat Vaughn and the city council but also the city’s seven planning and zoning commission members. Vaughn said they were attending an Atlanta Regional Commission training session as a requirement for the commission members.

“We have to get away with no distractions so that we can work day and night,” Vaughn said in 2012. In addition to the March 2012 retreat, Vaughn, three city council members and then Interim City Manager Brad Hulsey attended two days of all-day classes on Municipal Finance in August 2012 at Brasstown Valley. Hulsey said the city’s cost was $3,250, includ- ing two nights of lodging, with more than 60 city officials present from throughout the state to attend these classes offered by the Georgia Municipal Association through the Carl Vinson Institute.

Although many cities hold planning retreats, do you think city officials should travel out of town for them? Do you think is the best use of taxpayer money or is there a better alternative? What do you think? Submit comments by email to communitynews@ajc.com. The issue presented today involves your community — add your voice to the discussion. Submissions should be no longer than 150 words and must include a daytime phone number for verification. They may be edited for length and clarity, and may be published in print or other formats. Email is preferred. Email: communitynews@ajc.com.