City Academy

2025 City Academy Information and Registration Available February 1, 2025!

Welcome to City Academy

Do you ever wonder why a specific street was chosen to be reconstructed, how our drinking water is kept safe, or who to call when a tree branch needs maintenance? Learn all of that and more at City Academy!

With deep passion from our community members, City staff has launched the City Academy. The program’s purpose is to inspire citizens to be informed about the issues surrounding city government and how it functions in order to contribute in the most meaningful way.

City Academy Goals

1. Knowledge: Inform citizens about how the City is organized and how services are funded and delivered through first-hand involvement. Create opportunities for mutual learning.
2. Involvement: Growing a pipeline for substantial citizen involvement in the form of serving on boards, commissions, committees, and so forth. Become ambassadors for the City.
3. Community Relations: Building relationships with City staff by developing open lines of communication by reducing barriers and developing social capital for meaningful dialogue and collective action. 

2025 City Academy Program Description

After a successful launch in 2023, City Academy is ready for another year! We will conduct a 5-week program with 8 sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm. The last session will be held on a Monday. The program will kick off in April 2025 and run through mid-May 2025. During these weekly sessions, participants will connect with City staff to discover what goes into both long-term planning and day-to-day operations throughout the City of Traverse City and how YOU can become more involved! Presentations and "behind-the-scenes" facility tours give participants a better understanding of the role local government plays in the quality of life that residents of the City enjoy. 

Sessions will take place at various City facilities such as Hickory Hills, the Fire Station, Water Treatment Plant, and Wastewater Treatment Plant, giving participants a true sense of what it's like to work in local government.

City staff hopes participants will be motivated to play a more active role in shaping the future of the City and take an active role in participating on City Boards and Commissions. 

2025 City Academy Registration

The City Academy will welcome applicants beginning February 1, 2025 through February 28, 2025. Program participants should represent an ecosystem that blends well and be a wide representation of the entire City. No more than 15 participants will be chosen for the 2025 City Academy. City residents will be considered first for acceptance into the program.

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2025 Tentative Program Agenda

Week 1

Session 1: The City We Live In
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
5:30 - 8:00 pm
Location: Governmental Center

Session 2: Our Public Face & Our Public Safety
Thursday, April 17, 2025
​5:30 - 8:00 pm
Location: Fire Station 1

Week 2

Session 3: Water & Waste & Electricity
Tuesday, April 22, 2025
​5:30 - 8:00 pm
Location: Governmental Center, Water Treatment Plant, Wastewater Treatment Plant

Session 4: Paving Our Way To Sustainability
Thursday, April 24, 2025
​5:30 - 8:00 pm
Location: City Garage

Week 3

Session 5: Shaping Our Future
Tuesday, May 1, 2025
​5:30 - 8:00 pm
Location: Bus Tour

Week 4

Session 6: The Great Outdoors
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
​5:30 - 8:00 pm
Location: Hickory Hills

Session 7: Show Me The Money
Thursday, May 8, 2025
​5:30 - 8:00 pm
Location: Governmental Center

Week 5

Session 8: Building Social Capital Together
Monday, May 12, 2025
​5:30 - 7:30 pm
Location: Governmental Center