The second of three special Bridgeport City Council meetings will be held this evening, and once again it will take place at the Benedum Civic Center.

 

At 6 p.m., Council will hold the second strategic planning session to prepare itself for the upcoming year and fiscal year. The meeting is open to the public.

 

This evening, the department heads not addressing the city’s governing body regarding their goals as well as specific things they would like to see at the first meeting Nov. 15. Among the departments who will have a presentation in what is expected to be a two-and-a-half-hour session are Bridgeport Parks and Recreation, the city’s human resources department, emergency management, community and economic development, and information technology.

 

There will be a final strategic session on Dec. 13. That is tentatively set for the Benedum Civic Center and at 6 p.m. The sessions, which used to take place over the course of one day and last sometimes into the early a.m. hours, are not new.

 

“It was done well before I became mayor, and they’re critical to how we operation,” said Mayor Andy Lang. “We sit down, and the department heads (tonight) will say what is needed and wanted, what is currently needed and needed in the future, and take from that a way to prioritize projects. Some projects may be long-term where we can escrow funds and apply for grants, but this is where a lot of what you see begins.”

 

Lang said it is important because in both hired and elected city leadership posts, there is always change. These meetings, and the product that comes out of it, allow for everyone to see what’s taking place and planned.

 

“Even since I’ve been mayor, there have been new Council members come in and say they would like to see some things done or considered and we find out it is already on our list to be worked on,” said Lang. “That keeps us working toward the same goals regardless of change that is inevitable.”

 

City Manager Brian Newton said after the first meeting that the final session will have Council sitting down, reviewing funds and resources available, and getting priorities to be addressed from what’s discussed with department heads.

 

A lot of what could happen, particularly those items that require funding, will be determined as the city learns more about the amount of money it may have at the end of the fiscal year. Council generally takes revenues in excess of expenses – carryover – from a fiscal year and assigns a portion of it to purchases and projects. Newton said that will eventually determine a lot of what can be done.