Ordinance is murky on porch specifics
In response to the Aug. 22 article on the front page of the area news referring to the home being constructed by Keith Knight at 3100 Arabian Lane in the Saddlebrook subdivision:
Let me begin by clarifying that the part of the porch in question actually deals with the depth of the porch and not the width, as stated in the article. I have read the Land Development Ordinance and it could easily be misconstrued, as is the case here.
I know without a doubt that Keith did not intentionally do this to pull a fast one over on the city of Salisbury. In fact, Keith sought clarification prior to construction from the author of the ordinance himself! Keith loves this city and would not want to live anywhere else in the world!
He supports local growth and development and admires the history that our beautiful town upholds.
I am not condoning the fact that Keith proceeded with construction of the home without resubmitting the plans including the porch as it stands now. However, I do encourage the board to educate both the field staff and builders as to what the ordinance entails so that there are no other mishaps of this magnitude in the future.
Keith, the home on Arabian Lane is absolutely beautiful, as so many have already conveyed to you. Salisbury is lucky to have you as a builder with the qualities you maintain. Keep up the good work!
ó Susan Knight Hill
Salisbury
Compare tax rates along with salaries
Regarding the Aug. 24 editorial “Firefighters worth more”:
When we compare the salaries our city pays to firefighters, police and other city employees, we do not often use a comparison that is significant to the average taxpayer. We compare salaries to other cities in our area, but we fall short on our comparison. We fail to include one very important comparison. We fail to compare the impact on the taxpayer.
If we are going to compare the salary of a firefighter in Salisbury to one in Statesville, we need to also compare the tax rate in both areas. What is the tax rate in Salisbury and Rowan County compared to the tax rate in Statesville and Iredell County? It is the tax rate that has the greatest impact on the taxpayer. Remember, both city and county must be included in the rate comparison since the taxpayer in the city must also pay county taxes.
If the rate in Salisbury-Rowan is less than the rate in Statesville-Iredell, I say give our city employees a much needed raise in pay, but if our rate is higher, we need to evaluate what we are purchasing or offering that Statesville-Iredell is not purchasing or offering. We then must decide how to better spend our funds if we intend to offer a raise in pay.
Give taxpayers this comparison of tax rates. They will have a much clearer understanding of how they really compare to Statesville-Iredell.
ó Gordon Correll
Salisbury