It was good to see everyone at our last Landrum City Council public hearing.

After seeking input for several years, it’s good to know we can get a crowd at a meeting to give us more input.

There will be another Landrum planning board meeting on Sept. 24. This is not a public hearing. The planning board will take into account the input that was gleaned from Tuesday night’s meeting.

The next public hearing will be at our October regular meeting. There are a few items that need to be addressed before then, though.

The purpose of a public hearing is for the public to address the council and give us your thoughts about the issue at hand, which in this case is how to implement the desires of our citizens who contributed their ideas while gathering data for our comprehensive plan, which was adopted last year.

Speakers are afforded a time to make their comments, so it’s important to come prepared.  The time allotted is usually determined by the number of speakers who have requested to talk.

Usually, you should be able to express your view in five minutes.

It is not an opportunity to speak about matters that do not relate to the subject being discussed, nor is it appropriate to make personal attacks on members of the council, members of a board or commission, city employees, or anyone else.

Landrum Council members receive little compensation for our time, and board members receive no compensation for their effort. The thing we have in common is that we all LOVE Landrum and want it to grow and prosper, and do not deserve to be verbally attacked for doing a service that few are willing to do.

At our next council meeting in October, there will be another public hearing. If you wish to speak please come prepared to express your opinion in the designated time and speak about the matter at hand.

Robert Briggs, Mayor, city of Landrum