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Home My WebLink About5/11/2026 - City Council - Minutes - Regular CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Monday, May 11, 2026 at 6:30 PM Work Session, 5:30 PM Council Chambers Conference Room, City Hall, 114 North Broad Street, Salem, Virginia 24153 Regular Session, 6:30 PM, City Hall, 114 North Broad Street, Salem, Virginia 24153 WORK SESSION 1. Call to Order A work session of the Council of the City of Salem, Virginia, was held in the Council Chambers Conference Room, City Hall, 114 N. Broad Street, Salem, Virginia, on May 11, 2026, at 5:30 p.m., there being present the following members of said Council to wit: Renée Ferris Turk, Mayor; Anne Marie Green, Vice-Mayor; Council members; Byron Randolph Foley, H. Hunter Holliday, and John Saunders (absent); with Renée Ferris Turk, Mayor, presiding; together with Chris Dorsey, City Manager; Rob Light, Assistant City Manager and Clerk of Council; Rosie Jordan, Director of Finance; Will Simpson, Assistant Director of Community Development/City Engineer; Mary Ellen Wines, Planning and Zoning Administrator; Max Dillon, Planner; Stephen G. Simon, Chief of Fire & EMS; Crystal Williams, Assistant to the City Manager; and Laura Lea Harris, Deputy Clerk of Council; Also present were Dr. Cynthia Morrow, Health Director, Roanoke City and Alleghany Health District; Alexander Boone, President, ABoone, Real Estate, Inc.; and Court Rosen, Director of Development, ABoone Real Estate, Inc.; and the following business was transacted; Mayor Turk reported that this date, place, and time had been set in order for the Council to hold a work session; and 2. New Business A. Discussion Items 1) Receive a presentation/update - Dr. Cynthia Morrow, Health Director, Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts 2) Discuss a request by ABoone Real Estate, Inc. to amend Chapter 106 Zoning, Article III Use and Design Standards, Section 106-304.17(G)(4) Townhouse, of the CODE OF THE CITY OF SALEM, VIRGINIA pertaining to separation between townhouse groupings. Dr. Cynthia Morrow, Health Director, Roanoke City and Alleghany Health District, presented an update on the current health status of the City of Salem. She presented an overview of how the City of Salem ranks among Virginia localities. Dr. Morrow addressed the ten essential public health services and shared data specific to the ranking of the City of Salem in the state of Virginia. She addressed specifically cancer, heart disease and stroke, substance abuse, maternal and child health, and environmental health. The economic implications of public health were also discussed. Council was able to ask questions and discuss the information that was presented. Mary Ellen Wines, Planning and Zoning Administrator, presented an overview of the proposed amendment to Zoning Ordinance 106-304.17(G)(4). Alexander Boone, President, ABoone Real Estate, Inc., and Court Rosen, Director of Development, ABoone Real Estate, Inc., were also present on behalf of ABoone Real Estate, Inc. She shared a definition of a townhouse and background on the zoning requirements for this type of development. Illustrations were also shown. Council was able to ask questions and discuss this request. The request will formally come before Council for a first reading at the next regular Council meeting. 3. Adjournment There being no further business, Mayor Turk adjourned the meeting at 6:19 p.m. REGULAR SESSION 1. Call to Order A regular meeting of the Council of the City of Salem, Virginia, was called to order at 6:30 p.m., there being present the following members to wit: Renée Ferris Turk, Mayor; Anne Marie Green, Vice-Mayor; Council members: Byron Randolph Foley, Hunter Holliday, and John Saunders (absent); with Renée Ferris Turk, Mayor, presiding together with Chris Dorsey, City Manager; Rob Light, Assistant City Manager and Clerk of Council; Rosie Jordan, Director of Finance; Will Simpson, Assistant Director of Community Development/City Engineer; Mike Stevens, Director of Communications; and Jim Guynn, City Attorney. 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Awards & Recognitions A. Salem High School - State Championship - Speech Team Consider the adoption of Resolution 1525 honoring the Salem High School Speech Team for winning the VHSL Class 4 State Championship. Mayor Turk shared that Council would like to recognize the Salem High School Speech team for winning the Virginia High School League Class 4 State Championship. She asked that the Speech team, Coach Mark Ingerson, and Assistant Coaches Elliott Petry and Rachel Wurster come forward. Mayor Turk read Resolution 1525 for those present. Randy Foley motioned to adopt Resolution 1525 honoring the Salem High School Speech Team for winning the VHSL Class 4 State Championship. Anne Marie Green seconded the motion. Ayes: Hunter Holliday, Randy Foley, Anne Marie Green, Renée Turk Absent: John Saunders Nays: None Abstaining: None The team members were each presented a copy of the resolution and a Salem Championship pin. City Council expressed congratulations and pictures were taken of the team and Council by Mike Stevens. B. Salem High School - State Championship - Wrestling Consider the adoption of Resolution 1526 honoring Salem High School Wrestler Jake James for his VHSL Class 4 State Championship. Mayor Turk shared that Council would like to recognize Salem High School wrestler Jake James for winning a Virginia High School League Class 4 State Championship. She asked that Jake and Coach Lawrence Van Liew come forward. Mayor Turk read Resolution 1526 for those present. Jake and Coach Van Liew were each presented with a copy of the resolution and a Salem Championship pin. City Council expressed congratulations, and pictures were taken by Mike Stevens. Randy Foley motioned to adopt Resolution 1526 honoring Salem High School wrestler Jake James for winning his VHSL Class 4 State Championship. Anne Marie Green seconded the motion. Ayes: Hunter Holliday, Randy Foley, Anne Marie Green, Renée Turk Absent: John Saunders Nays: None Abstaining: None 4. Consent Agenda A. Citizen Comments Comments from the public, limited to five minutes, on matters not already having a public hearing at the same meeting. John Breen, 142 Bogey Lane, highlighted Salem’s strong quality of life, including its schools, public safety services, parks, community events, affordable housing, and walkable neighborhoods. Emphasis was placed on the importance of an informed and engaged citizenry and the need for greater public participation in local government, particularly among younger residents. Recommendations included improving public access to information, expanding opportunities for citizen involvement on boards and committees, enhancing communication through town halls and interactive website tools, and creating a Citizen Academy program to educate residents about City government and encourage civic engagement. B. Minutes Consider acceptance of the April 27, 2026, Work Session and Regular Meeting minutes. The minutes were approved as written. Mayor Turk requested that the City Manager provide an update on current items in the City of Salem. City Manager Dorsey provided an update on recent and upcoming activities and events in the City of Salem. C. Financial Reports Consider acceptance of the Statement of Revenues and Expenses for the eight months ending February 2026. The Financial Reports were received. 5. Old Business There was no Old Business this evening. 6. New Business A. Public Hearing for Lease of Property Hold a public hearing and consider the leasing of an approximate +/- 0.203- acre tract located in and owned by the City of Salem, Virginia, being Tax Map # 107-6-5. Mayor Turk requested that Mr. Dorsey provide information on this item. Mr. Dorsey explained that the parking lot property near Thompson Memorial Drive and Calhoun Street was originally included in a 20-year economic incentive agreement with Mac and Bob’s in 2006, allowing use of the property for parking at a nominal rate of $1 per year. The agreement expired in February 2026. Staff worked with the new property owners, with assistance from Bob Rotanz, to negotiate a new lease agreement. Based on comparable parking lot rental rates in the area, the City agreed to lease approximately 22 parking spaces at a rate of $55 per space, totaling $1,210 per month or $14,520 annually. The proposed lease term is five years and includes a six-month cancellation clause should the City need to terminate the agreement. The City Manager also noted that a typographical error in the agenda memorandum referencing the February 27, 2026, meeting date should have read February 27, 2006. City Manager Dorsey noted that he had misspoken earlier and that this lease was for a five-year term, not a three-year term. Mayor Turk opened the public hearing. John Breen, 142 Bogey Lane, asked to confirm that the City Attorney would formally review and sign the proposed lease agreement to confirm its legality, noting references in the City Charter and Code. He also questioned whether the business’s need for the parking spaces created any undue leverage in negotiating the lease terms with the new owners and expressed hope that the agreement was entered into voluntarily and at a fair market rate. Mayor Turk closed the public hearing. Randy Foley motioned to authorize the City Manager to finalize and execute a lease agreement with M&B Hospitality, LLC for utilization of the noted parcel as a parking lot, in a form acceptable to the City Attorney. Hunter Holliday seconded the motion. Ayes: Hunter Holliday, Randy Foley, Anne Marie Green, Renée Turk Absent: John Saunders Nays: None Abstaining: None B. Public Hearing on the Effective Real Estate Tax Rate for Fiscal Year 2027 Hold a public hearing on the effective real estate tax rate for Fiscal Year 2027. Mayor Turk requested that Ms. Jordan share information on this item. Ms. Jordan noted that, per the Code of Virginia, any time reassessment increases by more than 1%, it is required that a public hearing be held on the effective tax rate increase. The calculated increase was 8.74%. The effective tax rate increase was advertised in Cardinal News on May 1, 2026, as required by Code. Part of that requirement is that a public hearing must be held on that tax rate increase as part of the budget process. Mayor Turk opened the public hearing. No one came forward to speak. Mayor Turk closed the public hearing and noted that no vote was required. C. Tax Rates Resolution Consider the adoption of Resolution 1527 to levy the following tax rates for Fiscal Year 2027: a) Real Estate tax rate of $1.16 per $100 assessed valuation b) Personal property tax rate of $3.40 per $100 assessed valuation c) Machinery and tools tax rate of $3.20 per $100 assessed valuation Mayor Turk asked Ms. Jordan to share some information on this item. Ms. Jordan explained that, as part of the annual budget process, City Council is required to establish tax rates for real estate, personal property, and machinery and tools taxes for Fiscal Year 2027. The proposed resolution sets the real estate tax rate at $1.16 per $100 of assessed value, reflecting a two-cent reduction from the previous rate. The personal property tax rate would remain at $3.40 per $100 of assessed value, and the machinery and tools tax rate would remain at $3.20 per $100 of assessed value. Adoption of the resolution establishing the FY2027 tax rates was requested by Council this evening. Mayor Turk noted that the City had reduced the real estate tax rate by two cents in the previous fiscal year, from $1.20 to $1.18 per $100 of assessed value, and was proposing an additional two-cent reduction to $1.16 for FY2027. She emphasized that the reductions were possible based on current budget conditions, while acknowledging that future financial needs may not always allow for additional decreases. A public hearing on the proposed rates was held this evening. Council was asked to approve the tax rates as outlined in the resolution included in their meeting packets. Hunter Holliday motioned to adopt Resolution 1527 to levy the tax rates for Fiscal Year 2027. Anne Marie Green seconded the motion. Ayes: Hunter Holliday, Randy Foley, Anne Marie Green, Renée Turk Absent: John Saunders Nays: None Abstaining: None D. Public Hearing on the Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2027 Hold a public hearing on the City of Salem proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2027. Mayor Turk asked Ms. Jordan for information on this item. Ms. Jordan stated that the proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget was presented to City Council on April 11, 2026. Notice of the budget and public hearing was advertised in Cardinal News on April 30 and May 7, 2026, and the proposed budget, including the School Division budget, was made available on the City’s Finance Department webpage. The public hearing on the proposed FY2027 budget was being conducted as part of the annual budget process. Mayor Turk opened the public hearing. No one came forward to speak. Mayor Turk closed the public hearing and noted that no vote was required on this item this evening. E. Salem City Schools Budget Consider adoption of Resolution 1528 approving the Salem City Schools budget for Fiscal Year 2027. Mayor Turk asked Ms. Jordan for information on this item. Ms. Jordan noted that Council was being asked this evening to adopt Resolution 1528, which approves the Salem City Schools budget for Fiscal Year 2027. The School Board approved the proposed budget on March 19, 2026, and later amended it on April 14, 2026, to address budget balancing adjustments. The budget was made available to the public on the School Division’s website. Approval by City Council was requested to fulfill the City’s legal requirement to approve the School Division budget for FY2027. Anne Marie Green motioned to adopt Resolution 1528 approving the Salem City School budget for Fiscal Year 2027. Hunter Holliday seconded the motion. Ayes: Hunter Holliday, Randy Foley, Anne Marie Green, Renée Turk Absent: John Saunders Nays: None Abstaining: None F. Review of Budget Adoption for Fiscal Year 2027 Review of budget adoption for Fiscal Year 2027. Mayor Turk requested Ms. Jordan to provide information on this item. Ms. Jordan stated that adoption of the Fiscal Year 2027 budget is required under Section 8.3 of the City Charter and must be completed prior to July 1, 2026. She noted that the proposed budget was originally presented to City Council in April and that this presentation provided an overview of budget revisions made since that time. Ms. Jordan reviewed specific changes made to the proposed budget since the Budget Work Sessions, as detailed in the agenda packet for this evening. She noted changes to the expenditure side in the budgets for the General Fund, Water Fund, Sewer Fund, and Electric Fund. She also noted changes to the Capital Improvement Plan Enterprise Funds. Mayor Turk noted that no vote was required on this item. G. Budget Appropriation Ordinances Individually consider on first reading the ordinances appropriating funds for: (a) Fiscal Year 2027 City of Salem operating budget and approval of the Schematic List of Positions and Pay Scale for Fiscal Year 2027 and: (b) Fiscal Year 2027 City of Salem capital budget and: (c) Fiscal Year 2027 budget for Salem City Schools Ms. Jordan explained, at the request of Mayor Turk, that the budget process requires two readings of the annual appropriation ordinances and that the current presentation constituted the first reading. The first ordinance pertains to the appropriation of the Fiscal Year 2027 operating budget, including approval of the schematic list of positions and the employee pay scale for FY2027. The ordinance includes appropriations for the General Fund, Debt Service Fund, Water Fund, Sewer Fund, Civic Center Fund, Electric Fund, and Catering Fund, along with corresponding revenue and expenditure summaries. The ordinance also contains the schematic list of positions, including minimum, midpoint, and maximum salary ranges, as well as the proposed updated pay scale for FY2027. She noted that this information relates to the first ordinance under consideration this evening. Randy Foley motioned to adopt the first ordinance for the Fiscal Year 2027 City of Salem operating budget, including approval of the Schematic List of Positions and Pay Scale for Fiscal Year 2027. Hunter Holliday seconded the motion. Ayes: Hunter Holliday, Randy Foley, Anne Marie Green, Renée Turk Absent: John Saunders Nays: None Abstaining: None Ms. Jordan explained that this is also the first reading of the second ordinance, which appropriates funds for the Fiscal Year 2027 Capital project budget. This also eliminates the need to bring this information back during the year when the projects are ready to start. She listed the specific appropriations which were being requested, totaling $5,472,000. Hunter Holliday motioned to adopt the second ordinance on first reading, appropriating $5,472,000 for the City of Salem Capital budget. Randy Foley seconded the motion. Ayes: Hunter Holliday, Randy Foley, Anne Marie Green, Renée Turk Absent: John Saunders Nays: None Abstaining: None Ms. Jordan noted that this was the first reading of the third ordinance, appropriating funds for the Salem City Schools for Fiscal Year 2027. She noted that this included the Operating Fund, Grant Fund, and Cafeteria Fund. The total appropriations for the schools were $71,081,235. Anne Marie Green motioned to adopt the third ordinance on first reading, appropriating funds for the Fiscal Year 2027 budget for the Salem City Schools. Hunter Holliday seconded the motion. Ayes: Hunter Holliday, Randy Foley, Anne Marie Green, Renée Turk Absent: John Saunders Nays: None Abstaining: None 7. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 7:17 p.m. Submitted by: Approved by: H. Robert Light Renée Ferris Turk Clerk of Council Mayor