SALISBURY — The Salisbury City Council will decide whether to update a two-decade-old special permit ordinance at their meeting this evening.

The ordinance specifies what rules special events organizers must follow when planning 5K runs, festivals, block parties and similar activities.

The task of updating the ordinance was assigned to a special City Council committee led by Councilmen David Post and Brian Miller about a year ago.

Miller and Post held six public meetings with organizers, public safety officials and city employees to discuss what changes needed to be made.

Post said more than 40 people attended one of the public meetings.

Some of the proposed changes to the ordinance included increased permit fees and earlier deadlines for permit applications to be turned in.

Although not all community organizers who attended the last public meeting were pleased with the final draft of the ordinance, Miller stressed at that meeting that the ordinance being presented to the council is a “starting point.”

There will be a public hearing before the council decides whether to adopt the updated ordinance.

Other items on the agenda include:

• The council will receive a presentation from Carolina Canopy Workshop.

The workshop runs from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 12 and will educate participants about proper tree care and management of urban tree pests.

The workshop is being presented by the city, the N.C. Urban Forest Council and the N.C. Cooperative Extension.

• The council will consider approving advertisement of Dixonville Memorial Walk to potential bidders.

In 2010, former Mayor Susan Kluttz initiated a task force to create a Dixonville Cemetery community memorial to “raise the prominence” of the early African-American cemetery, according to a briefing given to City Council members.

The task force has developed a master plan for the memorial with help from two professors from N.C. A&T State University.

Phase 1 of the project will be the Memorial Walk and will be ready to advertise for bids by early October, according to the briefing.

The council has allocated $200,000 in the 2017-18 fiscal year for construction of the memorial.

The meeting will be at 5 tonight in the council chambers, 217 S. Main St.

Contact reporter Jessica Coates at 704-797-4222.