The student work program, a water tank, new streetlights and more were the topics of discussion Thursday when the Pembroke City Council met in a preliminary budget workshop to go over the city’s needs for the coming budget year.

The 10-week summer program that allows students to work in city administrative offices, help with city maintenance and assist at the police department may continue in the next budget year.

City Project Manager Ricky McCoy told the council he believes the program is beneficial.

“We had one young man that worked with us and he learned to run a backhoe, and he was old enough to be able to do that,” McCoy said. “He learned to drive a dump truck and did a real good job.”

“That’s a skill he can go out and get a job with,” council member Diane Moore said.

McCoy agreed and said the student asked to learn those things so he could use those skills to get a job.

City Clerk Betty Hill told the council the cost for six student workers for 10 weeks was around $4,500.

Moore said she believed that was a low cost for the program and thought it’d be good to continue it.

Council member Doug Kangeter agreed and suggested possibly adding more students to the program.

Read more in the July 23 edition of the News.