Albert Lea officials are calling on the public to share their priorities for 2014 as they begin to prepare the budget.

Residents are invited to attend the Albert Lea City Council’s July 8 work session at 5:30 p.m. The workshop, which was rescheduled because of the Fourth of July holiday, will be prior to the regular Albert Lea City Council meeting.

“We are trying to engage the public earlier in the process and to hear their advice and opinions on projects to prioritize,” said City Manager Chad Adams. “While we have a number of capital projects in our formal capital improvement plan, and have a lot of ongoing services in the budget that we provide year to year, there may be some innovative or new projects that we have thought of in our budget meetings.”

Items that could be discussed include roadways and park amenities, to name a few.

The council will set the preliminary tax levy by mid-September and will have a truth in taxation meeting in December.

Community groups requesting funding from the 2014 budget should also make their requests during the meeting. Contact the city manager’s office at 507-377-4330 to register.

People can also give input to the council during the public portion of any council meeting or by contacting city staff or their city councilor.