SALISBURY — The Salisbury City Council agreed Tuesday to hold town hall meetings to see if residents want changes to the council election process.

While several options were mentioned, council members seemed adamant that they find out what residents want before proceeding with any plans.

Some things the council can change are term limits for council members, the size of council, mode of election, whether to have partisan or nonpartisan elections, and the method of selecting the mayor.

The process includes adopting a resolution of intent for the changes and to schedule a public hearing with 45 days notice beforehand. No actions can be made at the same meeting as the hearing, but it can be done at the following one. Council can either approve of the ordinance for this year’s election or make it subject to a referendum vote on the ballot in November and have it take effect at the next election if approved. If council wants to go ahead and vote on an immediate change it needs to be within 90 days before election day.

“I can’t tell you how many people questioned why after they voted for it, why we had a different mayor election. The conversations stopped, a million reasons happened why we haven’t taken this back up…We need to know what our community wants,” Salisbury Mayor Pro Tem Tamara Sheffield said.

Council members said scheduling town hall meetings to get the opinions of the public is ideal before voting on anything specific.

“I think that the collective wisdom of the community is better than our collective wisdom,” council member David Post said.

City Manager Jim Greene will be working on scheduling the town hall meetings for later this month and in April. The goal is to hear from the people and either move forward with a referendum or get a committee to deliberate details further.

Grant applications

Salisbury Planning Director Hannah Jacobson said the deadline for nonprofit agencies that provide support to low- and moderate-income individuals and families to apply for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds is Friday, March 24.

CDBG was created by Congress to “enhance and maintain viable urban communities” by providing suitable housing, living environments, and expanded economic opportunities for people who have low and moderate incomes. Average grant amounts range from $5,000 to $10,000, but it depends on the overall budget and how many organizations apply.

To apply online, go to www.salisburync.gov/housing.

For any questions, email Hannah Jacobson at hannah.jacobson@salisburync.gov or call 704-638-5230.