MAYOR MAKES BUDGET ANNOUNCEMENT AT BATEMAN/ONLEY ROAD

Mayor James Ireton, Jr. made his announcement regarding his veto of the 2011-2012 Budget for the City of Salisbury. The announcement, made today at the corner of Bateman/Onley Road in Salisbury, was the site of his announcement. Mayor Ireton presented his rationale, it is below.

“Veto Rationale:

City Council leadership has turned its back on our neighborhoods, our employees, and our community partners.

Bateman/Onley Road - I support.  Council, in turning back the upgrade to the intersection, has turned its back on Bennett High students, the Salisbury University neighborhood, the State of Maryland, the State Highway Administration, and the Board of Education

PAC 14 - I support.  Council, in changing the funding formula, has turned its back on the community access television station.  Less community access means less transparency in local government.

Downtown Revitalization - I support.  Council has turned its back on continuing our progress downtown and has turned its back on the volunteers that have brought thousands of visitors and generated revenue for our businesses.  They have turned their backs on Urban Salisbury's efforts.  When we spend more on a snow blower than on downtown revitalization, and we micromanage a community partner's budget...we turn our back on progress.

Furlough Equity - I support.  Council has turned its back on the values of fairness and equity in furloughing city employees.  Employees have given back some 3 Million dollars to city coffers in the past 3 years, and we have done so by spreading the hardships across all departments.  Council, in turning its back on this equity, pits employees against each other.

Neighborhood Lighting Upgrades - I support.  Council has turned its back on taxpayers in the Canal Woods and Spring Chase neighborhoods.  Citizens expect city government to hold up its end of the bargain and provide services.  Council, in putting off Linens of the Week demolition, has this week, turned its back on the Church Street Neighborhood.  An All-America Cities don't leave certain neighborhoods behind in their revitalization efforts.  I won't leave these neighborhoods behind.

Water and Sewer Rate Increases - I supported using a portion of the $5.7 Million in Water and Sewer surplus to buy down the rate increase.  Council did not.  The on-going WWTP litigation and costs will impact our sewer rates for many years to come.  Council turned its back on citizens sewer bills by not dipping into this surplus to reduce the increase.

Fire Department cuts total some 15%, 210K more out of surplus has been taken, micromanaging of Urban Salisbury and PAC 14 and the Humane Society and Department Heads and mayor’s office all contributed to the veto.

In order to lead, we must know what we are for.  Council Leadership, namely Mrs. Cohen and Mrs. Campbell, are completely sure what they are against - yet can never tell us what they are for.  Leadership is having the vision and guts to be FOR something.  This budget passed under their leadership shows no leadership - simply put they have chosen to micromanage our community partners to settle old scores and have abandoned our neighborhoods in their greatest time of need.  I have shrunk the size of government almost 20% since becoming mayor - and yet found a way, in my budget to keep the priorities of neighborhood integrity, continued crime reduction, and investing in our infrastructure.  Council has passed a budget under cover of night with little or no citizen input or scrutiny from the press.  For these reasons I veto the FY 11-12 City of Salisbury Budget today.”