RECENT CHANGES TO COUNCIL RULES OF PROCEDURE
At its February 20, 2018 meeting, Council approved several changes to its Rules of Procedure concerning Council meetings. The major changes are as follows:
- Requiring citizens to sign up prior to the meeting to speak during Public Comment Period; however, if time allows at the meeting, a citizen(s) who did not sign up previously can speak during the Public Comment period.
- If an individual has written comments, said comments are to be given to the City Clerk at the meeting.
- Anyone wishing to be on the agenda as a “Delegation” must make such request 10 days prior to the meeting.
- If a “Delegation” has written comments or presentation, they must be provided to the City Clerk 10 days prior to the meeting to be included in agenda packets.
- Maximum time for a “Delegation” to speak is 10 minutes.
- Miscellaneous administrative issues such as removing language concerning Council “work sessions”.
If anyone has any questions or needs clarification, please contact City Clerk Jenny Tippett at 291-2590.
FREE MULCH!
Why buy mulch when you can get it for free? The City of Laurinburg takes the limbs that are picked up curbside and has them ground into mulch for all county residents to use. You can come get as little as a bucket full or as much as a truck load for free. If you need a truck load, we can help load it for you. Simply call 910-276-2364 to make an appointment.
We encourage you to stop by and check out our mulch pile to see if it is a material you can use for your landscaping or gardening needs. The mulch is located behind the Recycling Center at 600 Hall Street.
NCDOT’s Swat a Litterbug Program
Help keep Laurinburg Litter free with the NCDOT’s Swat a Litterbug Program. If someone is seen littering, an individual can go online and report it. There is no penalty, but a letter is sent to the individual littering. A NC license tag number has to be provided when reporting. The link below provides detailed information on the program and how to report an individual for littering:
https://www.ncdot.gov/doh/operations/dp_chief_eng/roadside/Beautification/Litterbug/default.html
Important Notice of Pole Inspections
Starting as early as December 4th, the Electric department will have a contractor in town inspecting poles. Utility Asset Management is the name of the company. They will have two trucks in town that will have, “Contractor for the City of Laurinburg”, magnetic signs on their vehicles. They will be entering customer’s yards to inspect poles, and will be in town into February.
Energy Saving Tips
The following tips can help you cut your energy consumption, the single largest influence on your energy bill. The City of Laurinburg works diligently to keep internal costs down.
Load Management – You can save as much as $48.00 per year simply by participating in the Load Management Program. If you have an electric water heater you can save $2.00 each month, or if you have a central electric air conditioning system, you can save $6.00 a month on your July, August, September and October utility bills. You can pick up a form at the Customer Services Department or call the Customer Services Department at 276-1521
Off Peak Billing – This program is designed to save you money. Make the choice to watch when you use power and save on your electric bill each month. A brochure is available in the Customer Services/Consumer Billing Department at 303 West Church Street.
Energy Audit – The City offers an Energy Audit program for your home to help you find any problems that could be causing your electric bill to run high. Brian Morrison will come into your home to suggest ways to decrease your electric bill. Please contact Brian at 291-1709 to schedule your energy audit.
Heating Recommendations
- Set your thermostat at the lowest comfortable temperature. We recommend 68 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Every degree above 70 costs an additional 3 percent to 5 percent. For instance, keeping your home at 75 degrees could cost nearly 30 percent more than keeping it at 70 degrees.
- During winter months, health permitting, it’s best to lower the thermostat to between 60 to 65 degrees at night. By keeping your thermostat 10 degrees lower at night you’ll save 10% to 20% in heating costs.
- With a heat pump, avoid large changes in thermostat settings. A dramatic increase in temperature may cause the supplemental heat strip to operate, forcing energy consumption much higher along with your costs.
- Change your filter regularly. Dirty filters increase heating and cooling costs.
- Caulk and weather-strip leaky doors and windows. Insulated or storm windows also help reduce unwanted
heat loss. - Open drapes on the sunny side (usually south and west) of your house during the day. You’d be surprised
how efficiently that sunlight will warm those rooms. Close drapes and shades at night. - Make sure drapes and furniture are not blocking air vents or returns.
- A portable heater may allow you to lower the temperature in the rest of the house, but it can also be
expensive if used 24 hours. Limit use of portable heaters. - Keep your central unit fan in the “auto” position. Leaving the fan “on” will force the fan to run 24 hours a day,
adding as much as $15 a month to your heating costs. - Keep the outside heating unit clear and clean.
- Close the flue when you aren’t using your fireplace.
To download this information in PDF format, click here.
Laurinburg Market Place Snapshot
Below is the linked Laurinburg Market Place Snapshot prepared by the NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center Staff.
