To kick off National County Government Month this year, Smith County is inviting the public to its second annual County Government 101 Symposium on April 3.

From 9 to 11:45 a.m. on Wednesday, April 3, officials will be offering presentations about how county government works generally across the state and specifically here in Smith County. The public is invited to attend the free event.

“Since this is the second year of our County Government 101 program, we are going to dive a little deeper and get into the specifics of a few areas involved in county government; namely, elections, the court system and performance measures,” Smith County Judge Nathaniel Moran said. “We feel certain that this deep dive will provide useful information to our citizens, whether they attended last year or not.”

Smith County Elections Administrator Karen Nelson will give a presentation about “How Elections Work,” both statewide and locally. She will also give a demonstration of Smith County’s new voting machines, which will be used for the first time in the upcoming May City/School Elections.

Smith County Budget Analyst Paul Feltes will talk about “Performance Measures.”

Feltes will discuss performance measures used by local governments to collect information about operational activities, achievement of goals, community conditions, or other environmental factors to better understand a situation and make informed decisions.

Retired 12th Court of Appeals Justice Sam Griffith will give the presentation, “Dissecting the Courts.” He will talk about the important roles all local courts play, from Justice of the Peace Courts, to County Courts-at-Law and District Courts.

The symposium will be held at the R.B. Hubbard Center, “The Hub,” at 304 E. Ferguson in Tyler.

The theme for National County Government Month this year is “Connecting the Unconnected.” The Initiative will explore ways that county governments are connecting residents in the spirit of building healthy, safe and vibrant communities.