Salisbury Budget Public Hearing Set For May 28

SALISBURY – With a public hearing approaching, the mayor’s proposed budget, calling for the tax rate to be set up at the constant yield level, passed the City Council on first reading this week.

An ordinance approached the City Council in first reading Monday appropriating the necessary funds for the operation of the government and administration of Salisbury for the period of July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014, also known as the Fiscal Year 2014 budget. The ordinance established the levy for the same fiscal period and marked the appropriation for the water and sewer, parking authority and city marina funds.

The total for the General Fund is set at about $35.6 million, which covers the costs of the City Council and the City Clerk, development service, the Mayor’s Office, promotions, internal services, the city attorney, information technology, planning and zoning, municipal buildings, police, public works, traffic control, fire, building permits, neighborhood serves, dent service and other uses.

is about $53.3 million.
The proposed tax levy is 88.4 cents per $100 of assessed valuation of all real property.

The next ordinance on the table regarding the FY14 Budget is to amend water and sewer rates, to decrease sewer rates by 6.5 percent effective as of Oct. 1 and thereafter. The water and sewer rates are being revised to be in accordance with the proposed FY14 Budget and the appropriations made for the purposed of the Water and Sewer Departments.

“Right now the proposal from the mayor does not exceed the constant yield tax rate, it equals it, and if my understanding of state law is correct that we only have to hold the hearing in the event that we exceed it,” Councilwoman Terry Cohen said. “However, since the council hasn’t yet established what the tax rate is, whether it will come under or goes over, but if it goes over the hearing will need to be held, so to be on the safe side it is being scheduled.”

Currently, Salisbury’s tax rate is set at 81.9 cents. The proposed tax rate calls for over a 6 cent increase.

The council voted unanimously to approve both ordinances in first reading. A public hearing on the proposed budget ordinances will be held on May 28 at 6 p.m. at the Government Office Building.