SALISBURY – City Council on Tuesday will discuss creating two task forces to tackle hot topics in Salisbury – nuisance animals and the sign ordinance.
When council members meet at 4 p.m. Tuesday in City Hall, 217 S. Main St., they will consider authorizing a steering committee to study and recommend policies related to nuisance animals.
Staff will recommend steering committee members to City Council on Sept. 18.
The steering committee will have 90 days to determine the role of the community in enforcing policies related to neighborhood safety and animal welfare and make a recommendation to City Council.
Council members also will consider authorizing a special committee to study and recommend text amendments to the sign ordinance.
In the past several months, groups have requested changes to the ordinance that would allow banners over main corridors outside the downtown area and LED signs for businesses and transportation.
The special committee also would find a way to fix contradictions between the city’s sign ordinance and state law regarding placement of political signs.
Also on Tuesday, City Council is scheduled to:
• Recognize the Police Department 2012 Veteran Officer of the Year, Master Police Officer Wiley Lamm; Young Officer of the Year, Police Officer II Annice Chunn; Civilian Employee of the Year, telecommunications supervisor Diana Gonzalez.
• Recognize the Fire Department 2012 Veteran Firefighter of the Year, Engineer Jeff Miller; and Rookie Firefighter of the Year, Firefighter Andrew Ebersold.
• Authorize issuing retired Police Lt. Alan Armour his sidearm and badge.
• Receive a petition to close Brawley Avenue from Corriher Avenue to Lantz Avenue and the alley behind 304 W. Corriher Ave. and set a public hearing for Oct. 2.
• Close the 200 and 300 blocks of North Long Street from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Sept. 19 for Rowan Helping Ministries’ ground breaking ceremony.
• Close the 100 and 200 blocks of West Fisher Street certain hours Oct. 19, Oct. 20 and Oct. 21 for the Rowan Blues and Jazz Festival.
• Hold a public hearing and consider closing an alley located in the 400 block of East Liberty Street and the 200 block of North Shaver Street.
• Receive a presentation from the Housing Advocacy Commission regarding organizational and strategic planning activities and consider setting a public hearing for Sept. 18 regarding proposed minor amendments related to the organization, powers and duties of the commission, which would like to meet monthly rather than quarterly.
• Receive a report from staff regarding the Statesville Boulevard resurfacing workshop.
• Receive an offer from the Salisbury Housing Authority to purchase property on Forney Street in the amount of $1. The property, which has a tax value of $13,645, is considered critical to the redevelopment of Civic Park Apartments and implementation of the West End Transformation Plan.
• Consider pursuing a $400,000 Community-Wide Assessment Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency under the Technical Assistance for Brownfields program. There are several properties in the city that need assessment and possible remediation from environmental contamination.
• Receive a report from staff regarding the proposed Downtown Maintenance Code and consider setting a public hearing for Sept. 18 related to potential text amendments to the nuisances chapter of the city code.
• Consider extending sanitary sewer service to the new Rowan Animal Clinic at 4155 Statesville Boulevard. The developer will pay all project costs, estimated at $86,000.
• Consider an agreement with the Rowan County Health Department to utilize the Civic Center as a local point of dispensing Site.
• Receive an update on the Dixonville Cemetery Memorial project.
• Hear an update regarding the purchase of a truck-mounted high pressure sewer cleaner.