The city of Auburn's strategic planning session will be a time for officials to brainstorm about the city's future, according to a local consultant scheduled to lead the meeting.
Lea Abbott, a business consultant from Skaneateles, said Friday that the meeting will allow city council and management to explore Auburn's long-term goals.
Members of the city council and City Manager Mark Palesh will meet Wednesday at the Seward House for the planning retreat. While the meeting does not take the place of a regular council meeting, it is open for the public to view.
Abbott said his main role during the event will be to act as a facilitator for the council's discussions. Each member will be able to throw different ideas on the table throughout, he said.
By the end of the evening, there will hopefully be a list of priorities for the city to pursue in coming years, Abbott said.
“I think the primary advantage (for a planning session) is it gives the council and the mayor an opportunity to look at objectives a little longer than they would when they are caught up with a normal agenda,” Abbott said.
The agenda for Wednesday's special gathering includes the following items - an introduction by Abbott, a brainstorming exercise, a strategic brainstorming session and a definition of priorities.
Abbott, who has provided similar services both for private companies and for municipalities, said these types of strategic retreats tend to cover topics ranging from infrastructure, to economic development, to crisis management.
“It really is going to be an open forum,” he said.
Members of council have not gone into detail about specific issues they plan to discuss, but development at neighborhood problems were mentioned at the most recent council meeting as possible topics.
A similar strategic retreat at Stella Maris in Skaneateles was planned earlier this year. However, the event was postponed after the city did not offer proper notification to the public.
Under the state's open meeting law, the public and the press must be informed of meetings that involve the entire council.
Members of the city council and City Manager Mark Palesh will meet Wednesday at the Seward House for the planning retreat. While the meeting does not take the place of a regular council meeting, it is open for the public to view.
Abbott said his main role during the event will be to act as a facilitator for the council's discussions. Each member will be able to throw different ideas on the table throughout, he said.
By the end of the evening, there will hopefully be a list of priorities for the city to pursue in coming years, Abbott said.
“I think the primary advantage (for a planning session) is it gives the council and the mayor an opportunity to look at objectives a little longer than they would when they are caught up with a normal agenda,” Abbott said.
The agenda for Wednesday's special gathering includes the following items - an introduction by Abbott, a brainstorming exercise, a strategic brainstorming session and a definition of priorities.
Abbott, who has provided similar services both for private companies and for municipalities, said these types of strategic retreats tend to cover topics ranging from infrastructure, to economic development, to crisis management.
“It really is going to be an open forum,” he said.
Members of council have not gone into detail about specific issues they plan to discuss, but development at neighborhood problems were mentioned at the most recent council meeting as possible topics.
A similar strategic retreat at Stella Maris in Skaneateles was planned earlier this year. However, the event was postponed after the city did not offer proper notification to the public.
Under the state's open meeting law, the public and the press must be informed of meetings that involve the entire council.
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