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On Thursday, Sept. 12, the city of Alabaster kicked off its third annual Alabaster Government Academy program at city hall with its largest class yet. (For the Reporter/Neal Wagner)

(For the Reporter/Mark Frey)

By NOAH WORTHAM | Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Over the next few months, members of the Alabaster Government Academy will have the opportunity to get an in-depth look at each of the departments within the city of Alabaster.

On Thursday, Sept. 12, the city of Alabaster kicked off its third annual Alabaster Government Academy program at city hall with its largest class yet.

“We had a really good turnout, and it’s really growing too,” Alabaster Public Relations Manager Neal Wagner said.

The very first edition of the academy initially came about thanks to the efforts of Wagner as well as City Administrator Brian Binzer.

“We started the Government Academy in 2022 as a way to more directly connect residents with their city,” Wagner said. “Since then, we’ve had dozens of participants graduate from the program, and several of them are now serving on various city boards.”

The Alabaster Government Academy provides interested residents with an up-close and hands-on look at each city department. Approximately 50 participants will have the chance to tour various city facilities, speak with employees and department heads and learn more about how the city provides services to its residents and businesses.

During the kickoff event on Sept. 12, academy participants learned about the city’s administration from Mayor Scott Brakefield, City Clerk Mark Frey as well as Binzer and Wagner.

“We gave them an overview of what the program is going to be like over the next several months and what to expect,” Wagner said.

Resident Cindy Benson took to Facebook to express her gratitude for the program as one of the third academy’s participants.

“Thank you for this program,” she said. “We enjoyed our first night and look forward to the upcoming classes to learn all about our wonderful city and how it works.”

The next academy class will teach participants about all the different facets of the Alabaster Fire Department and will allow the members to look at equipment and climb up a ladder truck.

In addition to being a way for the public officials to connect with residents, Wagner shared that the annual government academy allows the city to train up residents who might be willing to serve their neighbors.

“From a city standpoint, it also gives us a really good pool of individuals to choose from if there’s a vacancy on a board or something like that,” Wagner said. “For instance, our downtown redevelopment authority—everyone on that board came through the academy in the past year.”

The Alabaster Government Academy will continue to meet twice a month until early February.

“We want to give people a deeper understanding of how their government works and everything that it takes to run a city,” Wagner said. “They always give us a lot of really good suggestions and feedback—sometimes things we haven’t done as a city. So, I think it’s really beneficial for us and the people who go through.”

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