Citizen Involvement and Interactive Government

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Citizen Involvement

Boards and Commissions

Citizens may apply to serve on one of six council-appointed boards and commissions, covering Town interests such as recreation, economic development, technology, cultural arts and land use practices. The Town clerk’s staff recruits volunteers each May and June, and each September the Town Council selects the volunteers who will serve in these capacities. This volunteer time commitment ranges from one to three years.

In addition to boards and commissions, the Town at times forms special committees and task forces to work for a finite time on specific, current issues. The Town Council makes appointments to these special groups as needed. This volunteer commitment varies with each committee. For more information about Boards and Commissions and current Special Committees, call the Town Clerk’s Office at (919) 319-4508.

Sports and Leisure

Staff in the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department (PRCR) recruits volunteers to build a community and sense of belonging. Volunteers may participate in many areas, including coaching athletic teams, trail workdays, park clean-up, maintenance and enhancement projects and special projects. Examples of special projects include Eagle Scout projects, local history guides, assisting with festivals and events, and supporting Applause! Cary Youth Theatre.

  • The Cary Teen Council is a volunteer service organization for middle and high school students. Teens looking to get involved with their community can give back by joining the Cary Teen Council.
  • Several Town Council appointed Boards and Commissions work closely with the PRCR Department, including PRCR Advisory Board, Sister Cities Commission and the Public Art Advisory Board. The Athletics Committee, Greenways Committee, and Cultural Arts Committee are Citizen Advisory Committees that serve as advisory bodies to the PRCR Advisory Board.
  • In addition, the Festivals Committee helps plan the Lazy Daze and Spring Daze Arts & Crafts Festivals each year. 
  • Citizen led committees exist in other areas as well, including the Friends of Page Walker, Friends of Hemlock Bluffs, and Sister Cities Association
For more information about PRCR volunteer opportunities, call (919) 469-4061.

Stormwater Education

Citizens may volunteer to label storm drains in Cary. This is part of an effort to increase public awareness that what goes into storm drains eventually ends up in our rivers, not in a wastewater treatment facility. These volunteers work to improve the condition of our fragile streams and to protect drinking water sources.

Volunteers attend a brief training session and then, using kits provided by the Town, label drains. For more information about Cary’s Storm Drain Stenciling Project, call (919) 469-4030.

Environmental Conservation

Adopt-A-Spot

Take your claim to an area of town and play a role in preserving the beauty and health of our community. Through the Town's Adopt-A-Spot program, adopting groups agree to keep their area clean, litter-free and beautiful throughout the year and in return will be recognized with a sign where permitted. For more about Adopt-A-Spot, call (919) 469-4301.

Spruce

Spruce is a volunteer-based program designed to connect citizens to beautification, litter reduction, and environmental service projects in our community. Volunteers may participate in biannual town-wide litter sweeps, Adopt-a-Spot opportunities, garden projects, tree plantings, outdoor improvement projects in public places and neighborhood-scale sweeps. For more information about the Spruce Program, call (919) 469-4301.

Citizens Assisting Police

Help Cary’s Police Department by becoming part of Cary’s CAP Team – Citizens Assisting Police. CAP Team volunteers help provide security at public events and assist the Police Department with fingerprinting, child safety seat installation, clerical duties, service center staffing, Community Watch programs and other duties. They do not carry weapons and do not make arrests.

Before becoming CAP Team members, volunteers must successfully complete Cary's Citizens Police Academy and receive training in such responsibilities as report writing. For more information about joining the CAP Team, call (919) 469-4324.

Community Emergency Response Team

To help Cary citizens better prepare for weather emergencies, the Cary Fire Department offers Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training. CERT training is designed to enable citizens to care for themselves and then their neighbors during the first three days following a disaster event.

Participants are educated about disaster preparedness and trained in basic disaster response skills. CERT members are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community. For more information about CERT, call (919) 469-4056.

Community Watch

Community Watch is a program that allows communities to band together to unite against crime. Participants act as the "eyes and ears" of the police and report suspicious activity when they see it. For more information about participating in the Community Watch Program, call the Police Department’s Community Services Unit at (919) 469-4324.

Business Watch

Business Watch is a free crime prevention initiative that brings together local business people, the Police Department and Citizens Assisting Police volunteers. Businesses that register with the program will receive faxes and e-mail messages about local crime trends and potential problems. This can help merchants know what to look for and avoid being victimized while helping police spot suspects in crimes that occurred elsewhere. Police will also use the program to keep merchants informed about new laws and regulations. For more information about Business Watch, call the Police Department’s Community Services Unit at (919) 469-4324.

Cary 101

Cary 101 is a “citizen’s college” that provides the community with a behind-the-scenes look at municipal government structure, culture and decision-making. Through discussion and hands-on activities, students obtain greater awareness of Cary's planning and operations.


Interactive Government

Attend Meetings

Cary is committed to being open, transparent and accessible, also known as "Sunshine" in government.

The North Carolina Open Meetings Law gives the public the right to attend meetings of public bodies. To raise Cary citizens' awareness of their rights under the Open Meetings Law, Town staff has created a calendar that displays Town meetings. All meetings of the Town Council as well as those of its appointed boards and commissions and committees are open to the public, and we invite and welcome you to attend.

Regular Town Council meetings include “Public Speaks Out,” a period designated specifically for public comment. In addition, many Council meetings include public hearings during which citizens may speak about the subject of that particular hearing.

Notices of meeting times and locations are posted on the Town Hall bulletin board, which is located at the south entrance of Town Hall (316 N. Academy Street); on the Town's website, and on Cary TV 11. Public notices and hearings are posted and updated weekly to the Town's website. Additionally, display monitors inside Town Hall display the meetings occurring at Town Hall each day. For more information about public meetings, call the Town Clerk’s office at (919) 469-4011.

E-Participation

Cary citizens enjoy wide access to their government electronically. With more than 97 percent of citizens having access to the Internet at home or at work, the Town’s primary communication tool is our award-winning website -- www.carync.gov.

From web polls to the latest news to a growing list of online governmental services including program registration and utility payments, www.carync.gov is where to go to get and give ideas and information concerning the Cary community.

Subscribe now to our electronic mailing list service and never miss an important announcement from your Town government. Additionally, follow the Town on Twitter and receive important alerts both day and night.

Cary TV 11, the Town’s government access cable television channel, offers information 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Programming includes wink - a live look at rush-hour traffic via more than 20 cameras throughout Cary; the monthly newsletter and Cary Matters are also available on Cary TV, as well as live meetings of the Cary Town Council, the Wake County Board of Commissioners, and the Wake County Board of Education.

Cary Wants You!

Please consider how you will be involved, and take that first step today.