By Emily Ford
eford@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY — Helping neighborhoods deal with hazardous dogs made the cut as one of Salisbury City Council’s top priorities for the coming year.
The issue came to prominence last year during a public forum about housing concerns.
Participants selected hazardous dogs as one of their biggest worries. The issue — framed as “require the registration of pit bulls and limit the number allowed at one residence” — received 99 votes.
City Council didn’t get that specific Friday during its strategic planning retreat, but members agreed to tackle the hazardous dog issue in general.
Council’s other one-year tactical goals included:
• Fibrant
• Gang prevention and establishing a youth advisory council
• Developing an economic development strategy and cutting red tape for new businesses
• Pursuing opportunities to partner with Rowan County
The city tries to accomplish tactical goals within one year. The new fiscal year starts July 1.
Councilman Brian Miller added hazardous dogs to the list after saying he’s become personally aware of the problem. New neighbors next door to his rental property on Mitchell Avenue have two pit bulls chained in their backyard, a few feet from the property line.
“Now I understand what the problem is,” Miller said.
Hazardous dogs can cause a “downward spiral” in a neighborhood, he said.
Miller said the city needs to find a way to fill the gap that exists regarding hazardous dogs. Animal control does not become involved until the second time a dog has bitten someone, he said.
But before that point, a dog can cause a nuisance by barking, biting or making it difficult for people to use and enjoy their property due to a chained dog’s proximity, council members said.
Options to control hazardous dogs could include nuisance ordinances, said Chris Branham, Code Services Division manager.
Many communities have instituted anti-tethering laws to prevent people from chaining dogs, council member Maggie Blackwell said.
The city should confer with animal advocates, said Joe Morris, Community Planning Services director.
Now named as a City Council goal, staff will study the hazardous dog issue and make recommendations.
Further City Council discussion about goals, both tactical and long-term, included:
• Accountability, transparency
Blackwell suggested several ways the City Council could become more transparent and better serve residents.
She proposed reconsidering the group’s 4 p.m. meeting time, saying it’s hard for working people to attend. She also suggested council members make their contact information available on the city’s website.
Blackwell was following up on pledges she made during her re-election campaign, when she suggested all council members should have an email address on the city’s server with a direct link on the city’s website.
City employees have email addresses that ends with salisburync.gov.
Friday, Blackwell also proposed city staff include a fiscal note for any item on the agenda that involves money. The note would clarify whether the item costs money or generates revenue.
If an agenda item requires funding, the note would specify how much and where the money would come from. Blackwell also suggested staff include a return-on-investment statement for major projects.
• Economic development
Miller pushed studying how best to “do economic development in new, fixed boundaries.” A new state law prevents cities from annexing neighborhoods against their will, a strategy previously used by cities to increase tax base.
City Council talked at length about hiring a retail recruiter to lure businesses and new jobs to areas between the downtown and city limits.
But with the city’s tight budget, Mayor Paul Woodson suggested other groups pick up the tab for the new position.
He asked Morris to meet with Downtown Salisbury Inc., Rowan Chamber of Commerce, the city’s Tourism Development Authority and RowanWorks Economic Development within 60 days to see if each would kick in 25 percent to hire a recruiter.
Between the four groups, they have budgets totaling more than $1 million, Woodson said.
“Challenge them to come up with a position,” he said.
Robert Van Geons, executive director for RowanWorks, already has agreed to help, Woodson said.
While Woodson said the recruiter should work independently of the city, Mayor Pro Tem Susan Kluttz said it might make more sense for the person to be a city employee.
“Don’t we want control?” Kluttz said.
Miller said while he appreciates the effort to prevent the city from taking on additional expenses, Salisbury’s new economic reality may require spending more money to get a better result.
Morris and leaders from the four groups will meet to see what they can hash out, then report to City Council.
• One-stop shop for businesses
All council members supported the idea of creating a one-stop shop for the development review process, or the bureaucracy involved with opening or expanding a business inside the city limits.
They also supported an express review option, where business owners would pay to have their plan reviewal and permitting process expedited.
The first floor of the City Office Building, under renovation at 132 N. Main St. could serve as the location for a centralized development review desk, interim City Manager Doug Paris said.
Miller also suggested creating a development advisory committee to provide a “feedback loop” to city staff and City Council.
“We don’t have a focused economic development strategy,” he said. “It’s a hodgepodge.”
Miller said the city needs a defined strategy for marketing its water utility and Fibrant, the new publicly-owned broadband system.
City leaders had a few meetings with Van Geons about pitching Fibrant to industries, but then the city’s broadband director left and nothing progressed, Miller said.
“We don’t have it as a readily available tool that (Van Geons) can pull out,” Miller said. “If he is our salesperson, we have not equipped him.”
City Council agreed to recategorize a long-term economic development goal from “substantial progress achieved” to “moderate progress achieved” and work to improve the strategy.
Contact reporter Emily Ford at 704-797-4264.