Are you planning to attend the city council retreat today?

It’s understandable if you can’t make it.

It is, after all, being held at the Andaz Savannah Hotel in Savannah.

This retreat could have been held in Tifton, and future ones should be.

There’s real merit to the idea of a retreat for elected officials.

If gives them a chance to tackle thorny issues and complicated decisions away from the packed agendas of monthly workshop and voting meetings.

And it’s not just discussion. If they choose, the council can call for a vote at the retreat. They can make important decisions for the city, three hours away.

These retreats are open to the public, but unless you have a free Sunday, the ability to drop everything you’re doing and a spare $50 in gas money lying around, well, you’re probably not showing up.

On the agenda for the retreat are the newly created Economic Development Department, ongoing service delivery negotiations with Tift County, and a report from the city’s Solid Waste Committee.

These are issues that can affect every Tift County resident.

There’s an argument to be made for convenience.

City council members were already going to be in Savannah for the Georgia Municipal Association conference this weekend. Might as well get some city work done, right?

That’s a fair argument, but one that doesn’t take into account Tifton residents, the very people who voted them into office, the people they represent.

There’s real value in hearing our elected city officials debate and discuss these issues, to hear their thoughts and ideas on decisions that can affect every single resident of the city.

It’s hard to hear them from 170 miles away.

We encourage them to hold their next city retreat in the city.

There are multiple venues in town capable of hosting both them and the Tifton residents who are interested in attending.

And if they feel it’s absolutely necessary to get out of the city limits to hold a city retreat, Tift County and surrounding counties also hold multiple venues.

There’s real value in city retreats.

And there’s real value in the people being able to attend them.