The City of Arlington will offer a citizen education series beginning, Thursday, April 4 in Council Chamber, 101 W. Abram St.

Arlington residents wanting more information about city government, zoning, taxes and homeowner associations are invited to attend the free classes, which are sponsored by the City of Arlington Neighborhood Services Department.

Building Community: A Citizen Education Series has been organized to encourage citizens to become more aware and involved in their communities. The structure of Arlington’s education series was modeled after similar citizen education programs in Austin, Seattle and Sacramento.

Neighborhood Initiatives Coordinator Janie McGuigan said Arlington’s classes are designed to be practical, informative and open to anyone who wants to help make their neighborhood a better place to live.

Classes will meet from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Council Chamber, 101 W. Abram St. On Thursday, April 11 the class will meet in the Community Room of the Central Library at 101 W. Abram St.

Neighborhood and homeowners associations, crime watch and Citizens on Patrol groups will be discussed.

Participants will learn about the top ten code violations and an overview of the Neighborhood Enhancement Team program.

Topics to be covered include city government process; citizen participation at council meetings, planning and zoning meetings and volunteer service on City boards or commissions.

Topics to be covered include zoning application process, neighborhood zoning notification and top ten building permits.

Topics to be covered include the ABCs of a mandatory homeowners association member’s duties, board management, bylaws and legal responsibilities.

Topics to be covered include an overview of the city budget process and an analysis of what municipal taxes provide.