Decatur City Hall.

The Decatur City Commission will be holding a retreat this week. The meeting will presumably be open to the public, but you’ll need to block off a couple of days and possibly get a hotel room if you want to attend.

Commissioners will be traveling two hours north to the Brasstown Valley Resort in Young Harris, Ga. for its two day retreat on Thursday, Jan. 7 and Friday, Jan. 8. The address is 6321 Highway 76, Young Harris, GA.

These kinds of retreats are typically used to discuss big picture topics related to city government and do not usually involve any action or votes by the elected officials involved.

And what will commissioners be discussing at their retreat this year? The agenda doesn’t offer much insight.

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THURSDAY

8:30 am  – 9:00 am       Breakfast

9:00 am – 12:00 pm     Session

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm     Lunch

1:00 pm – 5:00 pm        Session

6:00 pm                            Reception

7:00 pm                             Dinner

FRIDAY

8:30 am  – 9:00 am       Breakfast

9:00 am – 12:00 pm     Session

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm     Lunch

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm        Session

Decaturish asked City Manager Peggy Merris what will be discussed during each “session.”

“I don’t know ahead of time what will be discussed. Normally it is open time for the City Commissioners to bring up topics they want to discuss, then there is usually some type of prioritization process that the City Commission uses to determine what will be discussed and how important it is to the group,” Merriss said. “Sorry I can’t be more specific.”

The city has been in the habit of holding retreats in places that are far removed from the city. In 2013, for instance, the City Commission and School Board held a joint retreat in Mansfield, Ga., about 48 miles southeast of the city limits.

While elected officials can hold retreats in other cities – even in cities that are as far away as Young Harris – it isn’t always the norm. For example, the Sandy Springs City Council has in the past held its retreats inside the city limits.

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