It’s that time of year again. When legislators, and lobbyists, flood into the state’s and nation’s capital for another session, when legislators make all kinds of new promises, and we, the public, cross our fingers and hope that this time they mean it.

The 151st Georgia General Assembly will be back in session on Monday.

But before that, our state representatives and senators for Rockdale — and thanks to gerrymandering, there are quite a few of them — will be making themselves available to you to hear what issues they should keep in mind before they go to the Capitol.

Today, from 9 a.m. — 11 a.m. at the Rockdale Career Academy, the Rockdale delegation, led by senior member Rep. Pamela Stephenson, will hold a town hall meeting to hear from constituents.

Rockdale is represented by District 92 Rep. Pamela Stephenson, District 93 Rep. Dee Dawkins-Haigler, District 94 Rep. Dar’shun Kendrick, District 95 Rep. Pam Dickerson, District 43 State Sen. Ronald Ramsey, and District 17 State Sen. Rick Jeffares.

Ramsey was recently reelected in November’s election while Kendrick, Dickerson and Jeffares are new to the General Assembly. Dawkins-Haigler and Stephenson ran unopposed and were reelected.

They will have a full plate of issues and they need to hear from you, the voters and residents, to help them stay focused on which issues are most important to Rockdale’s interests. It's their job to hear from you.

In the past we’ve taken legislators to task for not making themselves available to constituents and the public.

But voters and residents also need to make themselves available too and to come out and make their voices heard. If not, we’re not doing our job as citizens.

Two other opportunities are coming up to find out what’s happening in the local level and a chance to talk with local officials.

The city of Conyers will hold its State of the City address at 7 p.m. this Thursday, Jan. 13, at Cherokee Run, 1595 Centennial Olympic Parkway.

The county of Rockdale will hold its State of the County address at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 24, at the Rockdale Auditorium, 903 Main Street.

While these events can be predictable, they are also a chance to see what’s on the radar of the current administration.