In a rare scheduling quirk, the Laurinburg City Council and the Scotland County Board of Commissioners will each meet tonight.

The county commissioners are slated to meet at 6:30 p.m. in a joint session with the Board of Health at Scotland Place to finalize and approve moving forward with the energy savings contract recently recommended by the county’s Facilities and Capital committee.

Newly elected Committee Chairman John Cooley is expected to speak on behalf of the committee, which met with representatives of Johnson Controls at last week’s meeting.

The energy savings contract will allow for the county to replace its lighting, climate control and water units, where needed, for more energy efficient models. The 15-year savings are guaranteed by Johnson Controls, and will pay for the financing of the project.

The county will also discuss potential alternative automotive lease/purchase agreements for the Sheriff’s Department. Department officials are interested in moving up the schedule to get new vehicles by entering into a lease agreement. Cooley’s committee was scheduled to discuss the issue last week, but the committee did not have enough information to make a decision at the time.

Joined by the Board of Health, the commissioners are also expected to discuss the regionalization of public health services. Long on the minds of county officials, the regionalization effort could lead to shared services with other area social services departments, which would save costs for all groups involved.

City meeting

City of Laurinburg officials will meet at the municipal building at 7 p.m. and formally receive the audit report from accountant Carl Head of the Gustaf C. Lundin and Company office for the financial year 2011-12. Revealed during last week’s city workshop, the company audit offered its highest opinion – an “unqualified opinion” – saying that the city’s fund balance increased from $7.6 million to $8.1 million from 2011 to 2012.

The city’s unrestricted fund balance increased from 29 percent to 45 percent from 2011 to 2012, Head reported.

Council will also tackle the septic tank issue of Holly Lane resident Mose Ladson. Ladson’s property, while in the city limits, is too low to be attached to the city’s sewer line without first having a pump installed.

City officials must decide whether to build another septic tank for Ladson or to install the pump, as Ladson is a Laurinburg tax payer entitled to city sanitation service. Ladson will be asked to pay a fee for the service, in either event.