Speed Cameras Coming to Salisbury

Speed camera legislation passed the Salisbury City Council last night by a unanimous vote.  Upon the signature of Mayor Jim Ireton, the measure will allow the Salisbury City government to increase revenue in the name of public safety.

Salisbury’s police chief, Barbara Duncan, will determine the placement of the cameras near schools.  After 30 days of usage (during which warnings will be issued), any vehicle photographed exceeding 12 miles over the posted school zone speed limit will be issued a ticket.  According to the ordinance, fines are not to exceed $100.  While the ordinance does not specify, speed camera summonses are not subject to points on the owner’s driving record.

The cameras will be in operation Monday – Friday from 6AM – 8PM.  When asked by councilman Tim Spies, Chief Duncan was not clear as to how the system would work on week days when school was not in session or as to why the cameras would operate in the hours after school children had gone home.

Salisbury Council Gets Off to Uneventful Start

The newly constituted Salisbury city council began their tenure with fairly uneventful, two hour, first legislative session.  Every vote was unanimous.  Matters that may have been controversial, such as the speed camera legislation, were treated as though they were routine.
A little over one hour of the meeting was devoted to the presentation of Mayor Jim Ireton’s FY 2012 budget.  Staying on message, Ireton emphasized that Salisbury’s city government was doing more with less and that city employees were bearing the brunt of city cost cutting through the use of furloughs.
While it is true that city spending has seen a general decline (5.95%)  under Ireton’s stewardship, local attorney Bob Taylor pointed out during public comment that city spending has increased 55.46% from FY 2005 through FY 2012.  The FY 2012 budget, Ireton’s second, is a 5.88% increase over last year.