Monday’s special city council meeting will be about the Roanoke Rapids Theatre, Mayor Emery Doughtie confirmed.

The meeting is set for 4 p.m. in the first floor conference of city hall and, according to the notice, calls for council to go int

o closed session to discuss a legal issue.

The mayor said council, which has been negotiating with Lafayette Gatling on his payment arrangements, continues the discussions.

Late last month the city received $75,000 from Gatling after the city announced it was discussing reducing the monthly payment from $98,000 to $75,000 from March 1 through October.

Following that period the payments would go back to the full amount in November and the difference would be caught up during that time.

Doughtie said since the March payment, Gatling has made two more payments, one of $12,000 and another of $37,500.

The Chicago businessman, who took over the theater last year with a lease to buy agreement, still owes $112,500, a total which reflects a March payment of $75,000 due and an April payment of $37,500 due.

Asked if any deadlines have passed or are approaching following the announcement of talks to reduce the payment, Doughtie said, “A time limit is getting near. We’ve been negotiating with him. Both parties have to hold up their end. If he paid $12,000 and $25,500, some month’s payment is late. The fifteenth is the late date.”

There is concern, the mayor said. “My thought is what is concerning all of us is we were elected to make sure we represent the best interest of the people. We’re in a fiduciary position to look at the best interest of the citizens.”

Asked if there were problems, Doughtie said, “You ought to be able to figure that out by us having a special meeting. If there wasn’t a problem we wouldn’t be having a called meeting to discuss what’s going on at the theater.”