Norcross residents are invited to hang out with city officials over hamburgers and hot dogs on Saturday.

City Council will host its first Cookout with Council event at 3 p.m. at the Thrasher Park Pavillion. Guests will be able to learn about what’s going on in their community and share their vision for the future of the Gwinnett city with Mayor Craig Newton and council members.

“There are so many families that go to Thrasher Park on the weekends,” said Councilmember Andrew Hixson. “It might be an opportunity for us to engage people that typically wouldn’t be engaged ... for us to go to them and to hear some of their feedback.”

Informal, less-structured gatherings like these help officials better connect with their residents, Hixson said, as opposed to traditional town halls. Pre-pandemic, council members walked around town with residents to discuss upcoming projects and met them to chat about city business over a cup of coffee.

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