Mark this in your calendar: March 8 at 6 p.m. at Hollis Hand Elementary School. That will be the first of four meetings where citizens will be able to not just hear from their representatives, but make their concerns known as well.

During last year’s series of town halls with Mayor Jim Thornton, concerns ranging from speed bumps to jobs to service animals were addressed. While the local economy is always on the minds of city council and county  commission members, those same local legislatures don’t always know about every individual concern. At least not until someone speaks up.

Over the last few weeks we have seen the impact of citizens expressing their concerns and sharing their ideas can have on our city and county.

The members of the Troup County Board of Commissioners have reported receiving calls and letters regarding litter on the roadways, spurring them to find a comprehensive and lasting solution as soon as possible. Students addressed the LaGrange City Council recently asking the city to prepare for a future where electric cars are more prevalent. Now, the city council has asked city staff to consider that future.

That is of course on top of dozens of instances in any given year when citizens request additional signage or speed bumps in their neighborhoods to discourage vehicles from speeding past homes with children.

City and county officials generally make a point of addressing these concerns once they know about them, but someone has to speak up first.

If you can’t make it to the March 8 meeting, there will also be meetings on March 12 at 6 p.m. at Berta Weathersbee, March 15 at 6 p.m. at the William Griggs Recreation Center and March 20 at 6 p.m. at the Division of Children and Family Services building. The meetings will also be broadcast live on Facebook.