Earle community group set to meet

Earle community group set to meet

Residents invited to be a part of setting a course for city development

news@theeveningtimes.com

Residents in Earle will have a chance to help develop policies and shape the direction of the city’s future.

The city will hold a community development meeting on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at the city annex to encourage residents to get involved in civic affairs.

Mayor Sherman Smith said officials will be revisiting the city’s strategic plans and coming up with ideas on how to move the city forward.

“”We just want to make people aware of what is in our plan and the different committees they can serve on to implement our goals.” Smith said residents will be able to sign up for a number of different committees where they can help implement the master plan in areas such as beautification, housing, grant writing, business recruitment, and other quality of life areas.

“What I am proposing is to have these committees meet on their own once a month and then we can have a meeting with the full council maybe quarterly or bi-monthly where they can report on what they are doing,” Smith said.

Smith said he is hoping for a good turnout because it is a chance for residents to get more involved in the community.

Also, having these committees come up with ideas is helpful in applying for grants which in many cases look for community engagement when deciding on what to fund. “Community engagement is really important,” Smith said. “These granting agencies want to see where the

ideas are coming from.

They like it when the idea comes from the community and not always from the mayor.”

By Mark Randall