Brainerd Officials Hold Retreat to Discuss City’s Future Needs

The Brainerd City Council and staff met for an offsite retreat on Monday to help address the city’s future needs.

Held at the Brainerd Public Library, the meeting detailed the city’s plans for potential successors for city officials, new goals for each department, and potential new positions that the city may need. City Administrator Nick Broyles says that hearing the public’s wants and needs is a top priority.

“We are here to serve the public, and we can’t serve the public unless we understand what their objectives are, what their priorities are,” said Broyles. “So this is a perfect opportunity for us to hear from the public.”

He continued, “A lot of my job is kind of a three-legged stool. I have to stay close with the council, I got to stay close with the staff, and I got to stay close with the public. And I’m trying to balance those competing interests sometimes. But you know, we can’t be public servants if we don’t know what the public wants.”

The city council’s next public meeting will be on March 17th.