Mayor Matthew Block said the 5 p.m. meeting at the city Municipal Building will be a great chance for council and city department heads to brainstorm what projects the city should carryout over the next few years.
"Monday's meeting is going to be where city council and department heads sit down and come up with four or five new projects or initiatives to work on in the coming years," Block said. "... (The meeting) is an opportunity before the budget crunch for everyone to get together in a less formal setting and setting and discuss different ideas"
He expects the meeting to focus on a wide range of issues, including economic development, infrastructure and capital needs, and how the city interacts with other agencies in the area.
Compiling a list of top priorities is important to City Manager Ed Burchins so "he (Burchins) can have an eye toward including those things and adjusting the budget," according to Block.
Block said that, because of the economic situation, "priority number one is improving the job outlook" in Laurinburg.
"This year, we are looking at the city's role more from that perspective than from years past," Block said.
The mayor acknowledged that recruiting businesses is not necessarily the city's job, but the municipal government can look to see how it can make Laurinburg a more attractive venue for entrepreneurs and businesses.
Block said issues of how council works with department heads will also be discussed and there may be some clarification of roles and expectations.
The mayor said the outcome of Monday's meeting will likely be discussed at the March 18 public input session.
"We hope to share our final list of priorities and initiative with the public at the input session to get some feedback from the public."
Shortly after the input session, the city will start its meetings for the 2010-2011 fiscal year budget.
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