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The Laurinburg City Council may shut down of its Crime and Drug Committee due to poor attendance.

Council members will discuss the possibility at tonight’s agenda planning workshop.

Councilman Curtis Leak, who helped kickstart the committee, reported late last year that the committee was sparsely attended and proposed that the city either boost its membership or eliminate it altogether.

Since that time city officials have sent out requests to local civic leaders in an effort to gauge interest in the committee. During a December meeting City Clerk Jenny Tippett reported that response had been poor. Tippett is expected to send out another round of inquiries now that the holidays have passed.

At the suggestion of Councilman Kenton Spencer, council members will also examine current signage restrictions within the city limits.

Spencer said that a number of area churches have expressed concern that they are not able to adequately spread the word about church functions inside the city limits.

“It is too difficult for churches to advertise, and for larger events like the Highland Games and the Scotland Arts Center. It has even been a challenge for the city itself to highlight events that are being held,” Spencer said.

Hoping to re-evaluate an ordinance which he believes is too strict, Spencer said that the council should look to find an appropriate balance between avoiding a sloppy appearance and allowing for local event notices to be posted.

“We have to rewrite it and make it more balanced. We want to maintain restrictions for the sake of beauty, where we are not clutter thoroughfares, but people need to be able to advertise public events.”

According to interim City Manager Harold Haywood, the council will also consider the predicament of a resident on Holly Lane whose property is too low to be attached to the Laurinburg sewer system.

“Sewer is not available to that particular residence … (as it) drops off at the end, and our sewer line is above his property and it can’t connect.”

The resident is looking for some assistance from the city, and perhaps some relief in the form of another septic tank.

City Human Resources Director Amy Martin will continue to seek the advice of the council regarding the city’s management trainee program. Martin presented a plan for the program in December of 2012 that was met with a number of questions from council members.

In Martin’s initial plan, two of the three proposed trainee spots would be allocated to positions at the police department. Council expressed concern that by allowing two of the salary slots to go to the police department they would not be staying true to the program’s original intent, which was to shore up the line of succession for important management roles within the city.