There was no meeting for Cheraw Town Council this past Tuesday evening as council, the mayor and members of the town’s administration will be attending an annual two-day retreat this week at Cheraw State Park.
“This planning session is every bit as important as the budget session,” said Cheraw Mayor Andy Ingram, because it gives council an opportunity to see, somewhat objectively, what has been accomplished in the past year and where priorities fall for the coming years.
John Pierce will be the facilitator for the planning sessions, said Ingram. “He worked with us last year and we were very pleased. It should be interesting for him to see how we’ve progressed with our goals.”
Council members and each of the town’s department heads have been encouraged to bring their needs, as well as their ambitions to a round-table discussion, said Ingram. Council members have submitted a list of their primary issues or points of interests. Those priority issues, he said, “have already been complied and categorized so that our efforts during the retreat are truly focused.”
Another advantage of these kind of work sessions, said Ingram, is it gives council an opportunity to work big ticket items, such as a ladder truck or other heavy equipment, into the budget plan over a two or three year period. “That eliminates the need for the town to borrow money for those items,” he said.
“I always look forward to the retreat,” said Ingram, “because it creates an opportunity for us all to be working on the same page … all year long.”
— Staff Writer Karen Kissiah can be reached at 843-537-5261, or by email at kkissiah@civitasmedia.com.
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