Jake Day unveils proposed budget

The City of Salisbury now has their proposed budget for fiscal year 2017, the city council will have its first budget read through next week.

Mayor Jake Day unveiled his plans Tuesday, touching on things such police, moving forward with the city’s capital improvement plan and working to decrease homelessness.

The first year mayor also said the budget accounts for a two percent increase for all city of Salisbury employees.

Day said that the city already has a step pay system in place for those two percent increases, however city employees have only received those sporadically.

“I’d like us to get into a habit of saying that’s not something we’re willing to give up. Like the price of fuel, the price of paying our people and paying for their service to the city is invaluable and not something we should really dictate,” Day said.

At the presentation 47 ABC was also able to to speak city council vice president Laura Mitchell about her thoughts on the proposed budget.

“We’re finally having the conversations that match what’s going on in the city. It’s all upbeat, it’s all about what’s happening that’s great, instead of what we need to fix and what’s going wrong. We always have issues, everyone does, but it’s great to have that positive view and that outlook going forward,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell said the council has not yet had a chance to really dig in to the budget.

After the first reading a public hearing on the budget will then be held on May 9.