By Amanda Raymond
amanda.raymond@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — The city council will be considering an ordinance to amend part of the city code to allow Code Services to abate properties under unknown control faster.

The city council will meet at 217 S. Main St. at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

The city will consider approving an ordinance to amend the nuisances chapter of the city code, which regulates nuisance abatement actions on properties have no immediate owner or have an unknown owner.

At a meeting in August, Preston Mitchell, Planning and Development Services manager, told the council that one problem Code Services faced was the difficulty of identifying the owners of some properties. Some of them are in the middle of foreclosure proceedings so the specific owner is unclear, while others have owners who are deceased and the ownership has not transferred to another person.

Therefore, no one is receiving the abatement letters sent by the division to take care of issues on the properties.

The amendment would change the amount of time the owner has to fix the problem before Code Services can go in and fix it themselves while placing a lien on the property.

If the nuisance poses a danger to public health or safety and the owner of the property is unknown, the amendment would allow Code Services to start the abatement process right after a notice is mailed to the last known person or entity that had an interest in the property.

In other business, the council will:

• Present Sergeant Corey Brooks, Corporal Matt Benjamin, Officer Mike Dishman, Officer Anthony Mason, Officer Mark McDaniel and Officer Rita Rule with Lifesaving awards.
• Consider approving the consent agenda, which includes:
  • The adoption of a budget ordinance amendment to the fiscal year 2016-2017 budget in the amount of $906,413 to the general fund and $32,099,327 to the Fibrant Communications Fund to appropriate funds from the refinancing of the Certificates of Participation debt.
  • The appointment of Krista Osterweil as chairman and Mark Lewis as vice-chairman of the Salisbury Tourism and Cultural Development Commission.
• Hear a presentation about this year’s Salisbury Police Department GREAT camps for incoming Knox Middle School students.
• Hear a report and hold a public meeting about the Consolidated Annual Planning and Evaluation Report for Community Development Block Grant and HOME Program funds.
• Consider approving a land development district map amendment to correctively rezone properties at West Kerr Street and Best Street.
• Hear a presentation from RowanWorks and Downtown Salisbury, Inc. about economic development strategies.
• Hear pubic comment.

Contact reporter Amanda Raymond at 704-797-4222.