RFP Staff
♦ On Tuesday afternoon Salisbury’s City Council voted on its election year budget that carries numerous bitter pills for tax and utility payers. The Fiscal Year 2015-2016 Salisbury City Budget will no doubt be employed as one of a multitude of “blunt force” campaign issues against any incumbent who attempts to retain his or her seat. At present only one or two incumbents are rumored to try their luck in a city with one of the worst reputations in all of North Carolina. The budget will no doubt be among the more unpopular budgets put forward during a municipal election year within the last decade.
The vultures are circling low over 217 South Main and smacking their lips. The city’s working class population, both white and black, are pulling up stakes and heading toward higher and safer ground elsewhere. The city council requires 5 new city council persons from Marvel Comics who are willing to represent all of the cities communities. Salisbury, the Gay Mecca of North Carolina, certainly doesn’t need a Mayor suffering from “controversy anxiety”.
City councilman William “Pete” Kennedy, who announced he will not be running in the November election, was absent yesterday at city council. We trust he found a comfortable hammock at his digs in Granite Quarry.
Fibrant, since 2010, continues to ugly up city hall. It’s losses are affecting the city’s ability to provide services. Yesterday city council voted to raise Fibrant’s already non-competitive TV rates with increases ranging from 6% to 18% depending upon the channel package. Fibrant TV still has no app for “TV everywhere” and carries a weighty one year contract. Good luck!
The budget shows a 0.31 cents increase in the city’s property tax which is not much of an increase. More unpopular was the 75 cents raise tacked on the city’s monthly residential stormwater fee now becoming $5 dollars. Many residents find the fee both onerous and unrepresentative. Back at the last City Council meeting the artist known as Clyde spoke against the “scam” stormwater fee:
In a move to give the appearance of not having to raise taxes more substantially during an election year, city council voted Tuesday to raid the city’s fund balance for $1.8 million dollars and kick the problem down the road. The city claims they were forced to do this due to the expiration of the business privilege license tax said to create a yearly loss of almost $320,000.
Fund balance money will be used to partly pay for the Rowan-Salisbury School System’s New Central Office at 500 N. Main ($500,000), bike lanes and sidewalks on Newsome Road ($320,000), partial implementation of Salisbury’s ill-advised Complete Streets “traffic calming” program for East Innes and Long Streets ($550,000), buying body cams for the Salisbury Police ($78,000), implementation of a stalled housing initiative ($150,000) and paying for incentives for the city’s Downtown development ($200,000). Many of these items are viewed as frivolous by city tax and utility payers living outside of “8 block”. For instance many dwelling in the city’s underserved West End community experience a much higher priority in the city providing safety lighting for its residents than building bike lanes for a privileged few.
City Manager Lane Bailey, who once tried kick “Frosty the Snowman” out of Lenoir, N.C and apparently doesn’t respond to legal public information requests about the City, requested raising the city’s Municipal Service Tax from 17.5 cents to 17.6 cents. The Municipal Service Tax funds Downtown Salisbury Inc. and weighs heavily on those owning businesses in the struggling and vacancy bloated Downtown area. Salisbury’s Downtown taxes are said to be the highest of any city in North Carolina. Downtown Salisbury Inc. is responsible for the derelict Empire Hotel and for the coming “Slide the City” August 29th “bash”. “Ambulance chasers” are lining up to offer services for this baby! Will the city’s multitude of gangs “Slide the City” wherever they can find easy entry points? How are a bunch of unpaid teenage volunteers going to stop them? How about the sliders being shuttled by bus to the West End Plaza to get their cars? How many weeks ago was the last person shot in that lot? The City of Salisbury is setting themselves up for an enormous black eye and a possible army of suits.
The City’s water and sewer fund is budgeted at $22.7 million about $70,000 more than the FY 2014-2015 budget.
Where is the money for higher pay for the city’s desperately needed police officers who are leaving in droves for better pay elsewhere? How about money for the city 3 or 4 police cars wrecked and out of commission?
The new fiscal year starts July 1st. The RFP will post the FY 2015-2016 Budget as soon as it is available.
**Featured image from “The Push for 329 S. Main Failure**
