Leadership Nevada County's Class of 2023 attended the local government session yesterday and met with numerous officials from all across the county. The day started at the Nevada County Courthouse where the class took a tour of each office, including Judge Otwell's, and heard from elected officials and courthouse staff about the importance each office held in county government. The Nevada County Clerk's office provided refreshments and snacks to the class after they toured the vault and Deputy County Clerk Cherrie Wilson said its important for all citizens to learn about the offices at the courthouse.

"Many people don't know the inner workings of county government," Wilson said. "Most know the assessor's and collector's office because they encounter them in the process of getting their tags, but most citizens are unaware of the other offices. For example, the county clerk and circuit clerk hold many important records that are available to the public, but they just don't know about them." The vaults holding those records was one of the highlight's of the class's tour, and they enjoyed not only learning the types of records each vault held, but also the history behind them since some of the records date all the way back to the late 1800's.

After the tour of the courthouse, the class spent the remainder of the day traveling the county to meet various city mayors and learn about the cities, their governments, recent improvements, and daily challenges. Because of the recent flooding in parts of the county, the class couldn't meet all the mayors as previously scheduled, but they spent some time with Emmet Mayor Dale Booker, Rosston Mayor Dell Quarles, Cale Mayor William Warlow, and Bodcaw Mayor Kimberly Hernandez.

While in Rosston, the class had lunch at a hidden gem with delectable fried pickles, K&B Grill, and visited with Mayor Quarles. "People need to be informed more about their own community," Quarles said. "There's so much information and many resources available to citizens. Plus, we always hope as people learn more they would want to become more involved."

The day ended with a visit to Prescott Mayor Terry Oliver at the Prescott City Hall, and class member Jennifer Robbins, also the counselor from Prescott High School, said she felt the day was a success. "Today, it was interesting to learn about all the towns and government offices that make up our county," Robbins said. "It is important for citizens to learn all the functions and roles necessary in city and county government, as well as the accomplishments, challenges, and future goals of our communities that make up Nevada County."

Next month, the Leadership of Nevada County class will attend the law enforcement session and visit with local law enforcement, state police, and the prosecuting attorney, plus take a trip to the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy.