By: Sharon Aron Baron
Need a bachelors degree? Fuhgeddaboudit. The City of Tamarac offers up something far superior with Tamarac University.
According to a recently ousted city commissioner, Tamarac University is a prerequisite to becoming an elected official here in lieu of an advanced degree. So if politics are in your future, then this class may be for you. Or, if you’re just curious about the inner workings of the city like I was, then now is the time to sign up.
I signed up for the class a few years ago because I thought it would delve into the secret world of city government which would be good for Tamarac Talk. After all, as the creator of this site, I became Tamarac University’s most illustrious graduate.
However, city officials would never admit that.
The eight week class meets one weekday evening a week with a different department head to learn more about what they do to make our city function. A couple of my friends were in the class, so the instructor separated us for laughing so much. After all, this was TU and there would be no funny business. Most interesting topics were: the Broward Sheriff’s Office, Tamarac Fire and Utilities Department. Least interesting: Finance.
Now you may find finance mind-blowing. I didn’t. There is no doubt that balancing the city budget is one of the most important functions of the city.
As part of learning about BSO, we had to have a background check before being accepted into the class. One of the highlights was receiving a tour of the jail they use to hold suspects before transporting them to the main jail downtown. After the jail tour, we had a chance to aim radar guns at drivers along Pine Island Road and see how fast they were going, but once they saw our class on the side of the road, they slowed down anyway. At the end of that evening, we were rewarded in the BSO break room with Dunkin’ Donuts.
I actually found the Utilities information provided by Jack Strain’s department fascinating. It showed how our city water was purified and kept to pristine levels. I also believe our tap water tastes very good.
Registration for the 2017 program will be accepted through January 27th. Applications will be reviewed by a committee composed of City staff. Participants will be notified of their acceptance by phone and/or e-mail on or before Monday, February 8, 2017.
A complete Tamarac University 2017 schedule will be provided to those selected prior to the start of the session on Tuesday, March 14, 2017. Only complete applications will be considered. Apply here: Tamarac University.
