Riverwalk railings, ranked-choice voting and housing enforcement top public comments at council meeting

Several residents spoke during the public-comment period at the Salisbury City Council’s Feb. 9 meeting, focusing on Riverwalk safety, electoral reform education, housing code enforcement and fiscal transparency.

Joe Schifano, who said he has researched local history and circulated photos, asked the council to consider restoring a railing that historical photos show ran the entire length of the Riverwalk in 1968. "What happened to it?" he asked, urging the council to replace the railing as soon as possible.

Lana Foley urged the council not to rush adoption of ranked-choice voting and recommended an educational information session for residents before any change: "I still really think it would be nice of the council to move forward with an educational information session for ranked-choice voting," she said. Foley also urged the council to explore alternative avenues for public feedback to increase participation, noting time and childcare barriers limit attendance.

Robert Hudson raised code-compliance concerns about deteriorated rental properties and requested clarification on university police jurisdiction when stops occur off campus. Another commenter criticized frequent PAYGO transfers and said taxpayers deserve transparency and documentation for reallocated funds.

Council members acknowledged the comments and later discussed citizen engagement and appointment-process review. The record shows the council accepted public comment and directed no immediate policy decisions at that time; follow-up and staff responses were promised where appropriate.