Salisbury City Council held a public hearing on and adopted the FY20 budget on Tuesday, June 18. The new fiscal year begins July 1.
The $83,378,642 balanced budget reflects a 1.8% decrease in spending from the FY19 adopted budget. The property tax rate will remain the same for the FY20 adopted budget.
The FY20 budget highlights include:
• $350,000 Bell Tower Green Downtown Park
• $200,000 Dixonville Cemetery
• $100,000 Fire Station Three reimbursement with future debt
• $350,000 City Park Lake Dredging
• $270,000 Plaza Roof Project
• $135,000 Plaza Waterproofing
• $366,940 Roof and HVAC Replacements
• $50,000 Completion of Phase One Munis Financial Software
• $291,606 CMAQ Local Match – Newsome Road Bike Lanes
• $193,000 CMAQ Local Match – Salisbury Mall Sidewalk
• $35,000 CMAQ Local Match – Brenner Avenue Sidewalk
• $50,000 CMAQ Local Match – Grants Creek Greenway
• $47,000 CMAQ Local Match – Old Concord Road Sidewalk
• $85,000 Main Street Traffic Calming
A recommended 1.6% water and sewer increase based on the Consumer Price Index for urban consumers for the South Region (CPI-U) was approved. An average monthly residential water and sewer utility bill, for a customer using 5,000 gallons, is anticipated to be $70.86 (an increase of $1.11 or $0.04/day).
A $2 per month fee increase was recommended for residential curbside solid waste collection for residents with one waste container and one recycling container. The proposed increase for commercial clients who do not participate in recycling will have an additional $2 fee per month. Commercial clients who do participate in the recycling program will have a $2.50 fee increase per month.
“We have made great progress in continuing to strength our city’s finances and this budget is a reflection of the process,” said City Manager W. Lane Bailey. “I am pleased with our management team and staff efforts in continuing to evaluate operations and processes to ensure our city has economic development and livability for all residents. I also would like to thank Finance Director Shannon Moore and Budget and Senior Management Analyst Anna Bumgarner for their assistance in preparing this budget. We anticipate that this budget will meet the needs of our community and the goals of Salisbury City Council.”
The budget also included a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) of 1.6% for all employees, and a 1.4% average merit increase for employees whose evaluations reflect their commitment to exceptional service.
A public budget work session took place on Tuesday, June 11, at One Water Street.