1. Economic Development
As the Capital of the Eastern Shore, the City of Salisbury is proud to facilitate a diverse economy. With an ever-expanding range of economic opportunities that exist within our bustling economy. We are proud to have the 7th fastest growing job market in the US as we cultivate entrepreneurs and encourage the proliferation of small, locally-owned businesses. In 2020 alone, with only $341 million in retail buying power in the City, Salisbury retailers did $1.4 billion exchanged through retail spending. Manufacturing employment reached 11% of the workforce compared to 3% across the State of Maryland. The most important part of our economic growth strategy has been to turn our once-quiet Downtown into a vibrant center of arts and culture by investing in marketing efforts, arts organizations, recurring events, establishing a Downtown Visitor Center, an amphitheater, and hosting the 80th and 3rd year of the National Folk Festival and its $90 million economic impact to the center of the city.
2. Brain Drain
To continue as a leader at the vanguard of innovative concepts and technologies we are always looking for ways to beautify and better our City. We recently re-branded Salisbury in order to become more marketable as we encourage citizens and business to become involved in our community and take pride in being Salisburians. As a result, we are now known as Maryland’s Coastal College Town. We have created an Entrepreneur Pipeline with Salisbury University, partnering with the Perdue School of Business to hold entrepreneur courses and business competitions, including awarding a Mayor’s Prize to one winning business plan annually. Through our coordination with Salisbury University, we have successfully attracted the University to – for the first time – open a Downtown campus. In 2020 this landmark building opened the Entrepreneur Center which will continue to connect bright minds to the City’s heart and soul. The City of Salisbury offers intensive internship experiences to students help them understand the importance of local government. We have had strong success in retaining these young people in the City. In support of the young people who grow up in Salisbury, we continue to host a Youth Civics Council and Youth Development Advisory Committee. Truitt Street Community Center is poised for an addition in FY22, and the Newton Community Center will open its doors for the first time becoming a beacon of hope to many young people in our City.
3. Transparency
Throughout Mayor Day’s administration there is an ongoing endeavor to hold our government accountable to you, the citizens of Salisbury, as we foster an environment of responsive government and promote open lines of communication between City Government and citizenry. Due to COVID-19 our City Council meetings went remote. This enabled anyone to participate in local government anytime. As we move forward away from COVID we will ensure that access for all remains and will allow for in person and remote participation. We have also begun to translate all of our public facing documents into Spanish and Haitian Creole. We understand how important it is to be accessible to all residents of Salisbury.
4. Neighborhoods & Housing
The City of Salisbury has a dedicated team of support staff and code compliance officers in our Housing and Community Development Department (HCDD). HCDD serves our City in a myriad of ways from enforcing property and maintenance codes to making sure rental properties within City limits are registered and landlords are properly licensed. In addition to helping maintain order and consistency throughout the streets of Salisbury. HCDD is the home of Salisbury’s Housing First program, designed to help rehabilitate and house the chronically homeless in our City. Currently, HCDD is also working on new ways to encourage homeownership while supporting and strengthening our neighborhoods and encouraging a sense of pride throughout our City.
5. Fiscal Discipline
We work tirelessly to ensure that every dollar we expend is accounted for and each expense justified. Each of our City departments is challenged to strive for efficiency as we respect our commitment to you, the tax payer, to responsibly manage City revenue. As a testament to our fiscal responsibility and the dedication of every department, Salisbury has been able to reap the benefits of having a surplus in our budget. In FY20, we had $880,000 returned to surplus. Due to our strong and transparent budgeting practices the City received its 4th consecutive GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. Furthermore, as a direct result of our fiscal responsibility and discipline, our City currently benefits from our AA Bond rating.
6. Public Safety
Maintaining the safety of our community is one of the most important duties our City government is tasked with. As an example of our ongoing commitment to promoting the safety of Salisbury’s homes, streets, and business we are proud to host fully operational Police and Fire Departments. Salisbury’s finest and bravest, the women and men of our Police and Fire Departments, work around the clock to ensure our City continues to be a safe, family friendly community. The commitment of our first responders has not gone unnoticed or unrewarded, as Salisbury now enjoys the lowest real number of Part 1 crimes in 35 years, and the lowest per capita crime rate in that same time. As a testament to our Emergency Services commitment, it is worth noting that our Salisbury Police Department voluntarily seeks and maintains national accreditation. Furthermore, as one of only 5 fire departments in the state of Maryland with an ISO rating of 2, the Salisbury Fire Department is a premiere agency providing excellent public service through a well documented performance of standard measures. We will accomplish our goals through a fresh and effective organizational structure that reflects the modern array of services and programs
7. Environment
In Salisbury, we take pride in our beautiful environment and pristine waterways. We stand resolved in our commitment to the preservation of one of our most valued natural resources, the Wicomico River. As a demonstration of our determination to preserve our stunning environment for the utilization and enjoyment of future generations, we are proud to participate in efforts in partnership with the Wicomico Creek Watchers to improve the quality of our river and ponds, fulling funding their water testing program for the first time. Salisbury is proud to fund a Sustainability Specialist position leading our efforts. The City is proud to be known as a Bee, Bird and Tree City, host the largest conservation easement (92 acres) inside any municipality in the State of Maryland, and offer a Green Business Program.
8. Transportation & Infrastructure
We are devoted to making commuting to and through Salisbury easier and safer than ever by keeping our roads, bridges, and sidewalks accessible to all. A City can only be as strong as the foundation upon which it is built; with this in mind we take pride in our transportation systems and are always looking for ways to improve Salisbury’s infrastructure. We recently completed work on our new and accessible Main Street and Riverside Circle. In addition to our ongoing projects, we have plans to continue to connect sections of the Salisbury Urban Greenway walking trail as well as to create an innovative biking and walking rail trail along the railroads that connect North and South Salisbury. We are also honored to have been designated as a Bike Friendly City. Our Bike Master Plan, Route 13 Corridor Plan, Urban Greenway Plan, Downtown Master Plan and Zoo Master Plan have all been funded over previous budgets and we continue to make strong headway towards our goals in all these areas.
9. Constituent Service & Management
Ultimately, the purpose of our City Government is to serve you, the citizens of Salisbury. Our City staff work every day to ensure that Salisbury continues to thrive. If you should have any questions, concerns, or comments regarding the daily operations of the City of Salisbury, please do not hesitate to contact the Mayor’s Office or one of our City departments directly. It is our hope that Salisbury will continue to grow as a center of employment and opportunity for all. Our City has a dedicated staff of civil servants. It is our desire for employees of the City of Salisbury to be both engaged and challenged while they are members of our dedicated and innovative workforce.