By Hugh Fisher
hfisher@salisburypost.com
KANNAPOLIS — By unanimous vote, the Kannapolis City Council adopted the proposed budget discussed during the past month.
The approximately $45 million budget leaves the tax rate unchanged at 49 cents per $100 of value.
City Finance Director Eric Davis said the budget represents about a 1 percent decrease from the previous year’s budget.
These savings come from cutting operational expenses by about 10 percent across city departments, Davis said.
The budget ordinance gives City Manager Mike Legg authorization to transfer funds from line-item to line-item within the budget, provided he gets City Council approval.
Among the changes in this year’s budget will be the addition of Wally Safrit as the city’s full-time attorney.
Safrit has previously worked for the city while also maintaining private practice.
The budget also changes one part-time position at the Kannapolis Customer Service Center to full-time.
The current customer service manager will also assume the title of Director of Customer Service and Revenue Collection.
The total cost of these staffing changes will be $214,401.
Budget discussions have taken up the last two City Council meetings.
Legg presented the budget on June 13, when a public hearing was also held.
No citizens rose to speak for or against the budget.
Council members also approved a new water and sewer rate schedule, increasing the base charge for residential customers by $1.35 per account, per month.
That brings the base cost per month to $6 for residents and $7.20 for residential customers outside the city limits.
The change does not affect rates for the sale of water in bulk to cities, such as Landis.
In other business, council members approved an ordinance modifying the Unified Development Ordinance to allow more choice in signage for large developments.
City ordinances set specific limits on signage for shopping centers, office parks and the like.
Planning Director Ben Warren said the new criteria will apply to projects of at least 25,000 square feet or master plan developments of 10 acres and up.
‘The purpose is to encourage effective and creative signage … by providing an alternative,’ Warren said.
The signs would be made of materials similar to those used in the buildings on site.
Warren pointed to signage at the Afton Ridge shopping center as an example of what would be allowed, and encouraged, under the new rules.
The plan requires developers to submit a site plan showing the location and number of signs, as well as other facts about the development.
The measure was unanimously approved.
Contact Hugh Fisher via the editor’s desk at 704-797-4244.