You are invited to participate in a FREE Workshop being sponsored by the Pike County Chamber of Commerce and the Griffin-Spalding Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, May 28th, 2013, 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at the Griffin Welcome Center, 143 North Hill Street, Griffin. Bring your own lunch.

Constant Contact’s educational marketing expert in Georgia and Alabama, Lanelle Henderson, will be leading the workshop that will help you explore the landscape of using Social and Email Marketing in order to generate new business, turn loyalty into repeat business and referrals. Learn how setting marketing goals and objectives will help you determine the best targeted channels for you to push out your social and email campaigns. Interactive exercises throughout the workshop will leave you with actionable steps you can take to help you achieve your goals. Engage through email and social media marketing for long lasting results.

You will learn how to build your audience through list-building and fan-building techniques, what types of content attract the most attention, how to create campaigns and calls-to-action people act on, what types of reporting and analytics matter to your business and how to integrate it all into one simple strategy.

Register with the Pike Chamber at 770-567-2029 or Griffin-Spalding Chamber of Commerce at 770-228-8200. Call today and reserve your spot.

The City of Griffin and nCourt, an Atlanta-based government technology company, have entered into a partnership that provides City of Griffin citizens with the ability to use credit or debit cards to pay fines and fees 24/7 online or over the phone via nCourt’s unique live call center.

City of Griffin Police Captain Dwayne Jones stated to WKEU News that: “One of our primary considerations in selecting an electronic payment partner was reliability, security and ease-of-use for our citizens. nCourt brings over ten years of ecommerce expertise and a proven track record of providing best in class service to more than 2,000 government partners across the nation, including over 200 partners here in the state of Georgia. We feel this alliance will deliver improved convenience to City of Griffin citizens while easing the daily burdens faced by our Court personnel.”

Individuals facing a traffic violation simply visit: www.cityofgriffinpmts.com  the convenient, easy-to-follow website accepts credit and debit card payments 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Transactions are confirmed promptly, ensuring payment completion and avoiding potential delays or additional penalties. Citizens can also make card payments by calling 1877-725-3269 where they are guided through the payment process by live, bilingual, Atlanta-based Customer Service professionals.
While a nominal payment fee is charged by nCourt to offset operating expenses, the state-of-the-art system provides citizens with a convenient payment option – allowing them to avoid traveling to the courthouse, locating available parking and waiting in line.

“We are exceptionally pleased to partner with City of Griffin in servicing the needs of Griffin,” said David Keim, Vice President of nCourt. “Collectively we will enhance court operations by simplifying the payment process and minimizing the overwhelming workload faced by Court staff – all while providing a convenient service to the public. Our live, bilingual call center is unparalleled and sets nCourt apart as the vendor of choice in the card payment industry. There is no cost to the City of Griffin government for any of our services and no risk as nCourt guarantees all payments collected by absorbing chargebacks and NSFs.”

The activation date for the website and Call Center is set for May 6^th, 2013.

Every law enforcement agency is concerned about establishing a positive line of communication with the citizens they serve. Most of the contacts that a police agency has with the public are in emergency situations or calls for service. These are not always the best times to sit down and discuss community issues with the officer.

The Griffin Police Department will be sponsoring a program that is being used by other agencies that is referred to as “Coffee With A Cop”.

This will be an informal session designed for citizens to interact with members of the department and ask questions or express concerns.

The first meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 6th at Safe House Coffee located at 109 South Hill St. The program will begin at 6:30 p.m.

A second meeting has been scheduled for Monday, May 13th at Louise’s Restaurant located at 426 East Solomon St. at 7:30 a.m.

The third program will be presented at Phillip’s Food Pride on Monday May 20th at 2:00 p.m. Phillip’s is located at 332 North Hill St. The program will start at 2:00 p.m.

Each program will last approximately 2 hours. Anyone with an interest in communicating with police representatives and discussing various areas of concern is invited to attend.

Interested in Coaching Football this Fall? Spalding County Parks & Recreation is now accepting applications for all volunteer youth football coaching positions.

All coaches, including returning assistant and head coaches, must complete a Coach Application/Registration Form before May 15, 2013. Mandatory coaches meetings and trainings are scheduled for Saturday, May 18, 2013 from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. at the Fairmont Community Center and on June 15, 2013 from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. at the City Park Community Center. All who are planning to coach this fall must attend.

Applications are now available at the Parks & Recreation Administrative Office located at 845 Memorial Drive.

For more information, please contact Parks & Recreation at (770)467-4750.

The Griffin Police Department reminds everyone that due to recent amount of thefts involving lawn and garden equipment and power tools to be sure and secure them at all times.  Also report any suspicious activity in your neighborhood.  You may also call 911.