SALEM– City council approved several pieces of legislation in a special meeting Tuesday.

The city council voted unanimously to approve five pieces of legislation with the emergency clause Tuesday, meaning they will take effect immediately and eschews the typical 30-day waiting period. That included three ordinances which were previously introduced and given first readings during the council’s March 17 meeting. However, with two members of the city council unable to attend that meeting, council could not reach the required six votes to give them all three readings for approval with the emergency clause, necessitating the special meeting. Two of the ordinances concern appropriations changes, and the third updates section 1147.01 of Chapter 1147 part eleven title three of the codified ordinance of the City of Salem which concerns zoning permits.

The ordinance concerning zoning permits removes language from the conclusion of paragraph (a) which specifies that a zoning permit is not required for interior construction “that does not involve load-bearing walls, electrical or plumbing” unless a building permit would otherwise be required for the project. The paragraph will now conclude “a zoning permit is not required for interior construction including, repairs, alterations, removal or demolition. A separate building permit may still be required by the Salem Building Department, or their agent, as set out in sections 1147.14 and 1303 of the codified ordinances of the City of Salem.”

The first appropriations ordinance appropriates $55,000 in the Developers Agency Fund’s Project Contractual Services Inspection Fees line item to cover a shortage in estimated expenditures, and the second ordinance will reduce appropriations in the Storm Water Management Fund’s Contractual Services Storm Water Study and Mapping line item by $10,352.16 to balance the fund’s current cash position with estimated expenditures.

A resolution authorizing the utilities commission to apply for, accept and enter into a water supply revolving loan account agreement on behalf of the city of Salem for planning, design and or construction of phase two improvements of water facilities was also approved. Councilman Jim Harrington asked how much the loan would be for and Utilities Superintendent Butch Donnalley said the exact total would not be known until the design phase was finalized –it was expected to be for approximately $8 million.

Other matters approved included a resolution authorizing Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey to enter a contract and sign any and all agreements necessary for the continuation of Elevate Building Solutions, the city’s third-party commercial building department.

The city council will meet next at 7 p.m. on April 7.