RFP Staff
♦ Salisbury’s City Council will meet at 4 p.m. on Tuesday June 17th at City Hall where the city’s very unpopular proposed budget could be a topic of discussion during the public comment. So also could be the serious understaffing and underfunding of the city’s fire department and the police department. Hopefully some public-spirited commenters will step up in the face of potential of reprisals.
Other irate public commenters may include residents of the West End Community, struggling with violent crime and given short-shrift by city staffers and the police at the last community gathering. West Enders listened to a Police and City staff presentation with limited resident input. Further friction may occur between Mayor Woodson and the city’s large lesbian, gay, and transgender community being slighted by Mayor Woodson’s sidestepping a Gay Pride Day proclamation because it was too “controversial”. Add to this boiling pot of city factions, the possibility that county utility payers may take exception with the large water and sewer hikes coming their way due to the city’s Fibrant debacle. Perhaps county residents might get a better ear by taking their grievances to the state utility commission or even the state legislature who hopefully will one day remove water from municipal control.
In regards to public commenting at City Hall:
* City council’s new “rules” for public commenting will be in place for the first time. How convenient.
* The meeting is strategically scheduled when most people are at work.
* Public commentary could be canceled at the whim of the city manager and his script reading city council.
* Public commentary could be interspersed with a well-orchestrated appearance of city “friends” praising city council for all their high-minded deeds, the city’s avalanche of “awards”, and Main Street’s make-believe “vibrancy”.
City Manager Paris is promoting a 2.9 cent property tax rate increase, 2.9 percent water-sewer fee increase, $1 monthly solid waste fee hike, and a rate increase for Fibrant television subscribers. The city manager attempted to blame the increases on the legislature for the loss of transitional “Hold Harmless” funds ended by the state legislature which he had to know were coming.
As the city struggles to keep from drowning financially in the wake of the Fibrant debacle and a dwindling tax base, they are hunting out any possible revenue source even zeroing-in on county water and sewer utility payers.
The city manager’s proposed budget includes an added .45 cents in the proposed tax rate hike for 4 projects:
* Expanding public transit service to Wallace Commons and Julian Road medical offices ($40,000)
* Widening Newsome Road, including bike lanes ($279,000)
* Bringle Ferry Road sidewalks ($59,730)
* Street lights for beefing up West End security ($40,000)
The proposed $1 solid waste fee increase is alleged to cover new rollout trash carts said to work well with automated single-arm trash trucks. Many city critics believe the fee will be a “slush fund” similar to the storm water runoff fee for frequently non existent storm water runoffs.
The Fibrant TV hike in price will effect subscribers purses if they choose to stay with the already over-priced TV offerings.
The proposed large 2.9% increase in the water/sewer rate is alleged to cover higher operating costs, increased maintenance of the sewer infrastructure, higher cost healthcare for Salisbury-Rowan Utility employees, and a 2.5% SRU employee merit pool. Budget watchers suspect this hike, on the backs of city and county utility payers, will help cover some of the huge multi-million dollar deficits the Fibrant fiasco created.
COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA
June 17, 2014
4:00 p.m.
1. Call to order.
2. Invocation to be given by Councilmember Alexander.
3. Pledge of Allegiance.
4. Recognition of visitors present.
5. Council to consider the CONSENT AGENDA:
(a) Approve Minutes of the Special Meetings of March 27, 2014 and May 30, 2014, and the Regular Meeting of June 3, 2014.
(b) Receive a petition for the voluntary annexation of 25 acres located Julian Road identified as Tax Map 402 Parcel 088, and adopt a RESOLUTION instructing the City Clerk to investigate the sufficiency of the request.
(c) Adopt a Budget ORDINANCE amendment to the FY2013-2014 budget in the amount of $5,000 to Rowan Arts Council Contribution.
6. Council to hold a public hearing to receive comments regarding the proposed FY2014-2015 City Budget.
7. Council to consider Land Development Ordinance Text Amendment TA-01-2014, to revise provisions of Chapter 2 (Districts), Chapter 6 (Infill, Addition and Accessory), and Chapter 18 (Definitions) related to Secondary Dwelling Units:
(a) Receive a presentation from staff
(b) Hold a public hearing
(c) Issue a Statement of Consistency and Statement of Reasonableness, and consider
adopting an ORDINANCE to amend Chapters 2, 6, and 18 of the Land Development Ordinance related to Secondary Dwelling Units.
8. Council to consider Land Development Ordinance Text Amendment TA-06-2013, to revise provisions of Chapter 4 (Subdivisions and Infrastructure), and Chapter 6 (Infill Addition, and Accessory) related to the Sidewalk Program:
(a) Receive a presentation from staff
(b) Hold a public hearing
(c) Issue a Statement of Consistency and Statement of Reasonableness, and consider
adopting an ORDINANCE to amend Chapters 4, and 6 of the Land Development Ordinance related to the Sidewalk Program.
COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA – PAGE 2 – JUNE 17, 2014
9. Council to receive a presentation from staff regarding a Community-wide Brownfields Assessment Grant.
10. Council to consider appointments to various Boards and Commissions.
11. Council to receive public comments.
12. City Manager’s Comments.
13. Mayor’s Announcements.
(a) Downtown Salisbury, Inc. and the Rowan Arts Council will host Arts Night Out Friday, June 20, 2014 from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. in downtown Salisbury.
(b) The Salisbury Parks and Recreation Department will host “Movies in the Park” at City Park Friday, June 27, 2014. Pre-movie activities begin at 8:00 p.m. The movie will begin at approximately 9:00 p.m. Bring a blanket or chair to watch the featured movie “The Wizard of Oz.” This free event is sponsored by Fibrant and open to the public.
(c) City Council has cancelled its first regularly scheduled meeting for July 1, 2014, and will resume its regular schedule Tuesday, July 15, 2014.
(d) Other announcements.
14. Recess.
