The town of Hillsborough is inviting you to learn more about how local government functions – as part of its first-ever Citizens Academy.

The Citizens Academy is a six-week course designed to help you learn more about town government – and to get folks more interested in getting involved as well. It begins on Wednesday, March 11, and runs for six weeks, with classes from 7-9 pm every Wednesday through April 15 held mostly at Durham Tech’s Orange County campus. (There will also be one Saturday session – a tour of the town’s water and sewer system on March 28.)

Read the town’s full news release.

Hillsborough Mayor Tom Stevens says it’s part of a town-wide effort to “be more systematic” about transparency and getting people engaged – because, he says, that effort makes for better government.

“We want to make sure there’s a wide pool of citizens who are available to serve on advisory boards, or perhaps even run for office – or if nothing else, just give us feedback on the budget and some of the policies that we’re doing,” Stevens says. “It really does make a difference, we do listen to people, (and) it’s very important to get different viewpoints, (because) that helps us all arrive at better decisions.”

Read the course syllabus, including the topics for each week.

The deadline to apply for the Citizens Academy is Monday. Priority goes to Hillsborough residents, but everyone is welcome.

To apply for the Citizens Academy, click here.

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