Lakeland, Fla., chamber and city commission to meet on business initiatives.

Byline: Jeremy Maready

Oct. 31--CSX and Lakeland Electric are expected to headline Monday's agenda when the Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce and Lakeland's city commission meet. The public meeting will be held from 2:30 to 5 p.m. in the Lake Hunter Room at The Lakeland Center.

"This is what I have been working toward all year, getting the chamber and city commissioners together," said Paul Noris, the chamber's board chairman. "We are going to have the ability to talk face to face."

While the meeting's agenda hasn't been set, it is expected to cover a variety of public policy issues important to both the city and chamber.

Noris expected also to talk about the city's budgeting issues related to current tax cuts in Tallahassee and the chamber's Smart Community Initiative.

"It's not a single-issue event right now," he said. "This is going to cover a variety of topics."

The question of Lakeland Electric's governance has been a pressing matter for several years with chamber members, said Kathleen Munson, chamber president. However, changes in city and utility management delayed their request.