SALISBURY – The Salisbury City Council quickly went over agenda items last week, approving the addition of restrooms to Ben’s Red Swings, an amendment to the current fiscal year budget and a fee for Bed and Breakfast Inns to be established.
Restroom Addition
A resolution came before the council to approve construction and accept the donation of a community-built restroom building at the Ben’s Red Swings Playground in the City Park.
The resolution states, “The City of Salisbury is interested in improving the City’s playground facilities, and a plan to provide permanent restroom facilities at the Ben’s Red Swings playground has been proposed by the family and friends of Benjamin Layton in his memory.”
The proposal included the concept architectural and site drawings of the proposed restroom building prepared by AWB Engineers. Funding for construction will be raised by the family and friends of Layton as well as will be responsible for the construction of the restroom building.
The council voted unanimously to approve the concept drawings as well as accept the donation of the restroom building for maintenance upon completion of an acceptable inspection by the Department of Public Works.
Shell Casings Recycled
A budget amendment to the Fiscal Year 2015 General Fund Budget was approved to appropriate the funds received from the recovery and recycling of brass shall casing at the Salisbury Police Range to purchase service weapons came before the council.
“This is an annual event where the brass shell casings are collected from the range, and we budget them to redeem those funds,” City Attorney Mark Tilghman said.
According to the ordinance, members of the Salisbury Police Department have retrieved, stored and recycled brass shell casings from all firearms training at the Salisbury Police Range. The recycling of these brass shell casings through Delmarva Recycling, Inc. has produced a monetary return for the efforts put forth.
Delmarva Recycling, Inc. has paid the city $1,470, which was placed in the General Fund, and the Salisbury Police Department wants to purchase service weapons for new police officers with the funds.
The council voted unanimously to approve the budget amendment in first reading.
Tax Sale Property
An ordinance approving an amendment of the Fiscal Year 2015 General Fund Budget to appropriate funding for purchase of property at tax sale as part of a community development initiative.
According to the ordinance, the City of Salisbury is interested in the revitalization of abandoned or troubled properties and has identified properties with the potential to become a blighting influence on their neighborhood.
“The city believes that the revitalization of the areas they are in can be facilitated if the city is able to gain control of this property, and the city believes that the properties have the potential to be redeveloped for low to moderate income housing and community purposes,” the ordinance states. “The city agrees to fund the purchase at the 2015 tax sale of any or all of the identified properties for community development purposes.”
The FY 2015 budget does not contain an appropriation sufficient to cover this purchase, and would be amended to increase Land Acquisition Budget by $37,527 from surplus.
The council voted unanimously to approve the budget amendment.
B&B Fee Approved
The final ordinance on the council’s agenda was to establish a fee schedule to obtain a permit to operate a Bed and Breakfast Inn.
A fee will be imposed for the administrative costs of the issuance of a permit to operate a Bed and Breakfast Inn in the amount of $60. The council voted unanimously to approve the fee.
Earlier this year, the council approved an amendment to the city code adding the definition of bed and breakfasts and allowing them in the Newtown Historic District.