SALEM — City Council approved five recently-discussed ordinances during its Tuesday meeting.

The ordinances –given first readings by council on June 4 and given second readings by the council on June 18 –were all unanimously approved by council. They include an ordinance establishing a revitalization district within the city that would encompass the bulk of the downtown area; an ordinance establishing regulations for renewable energy equipment; and, two ordinances which implement formal regulations for yard, garage, and similar sales.

The revitalization district, which was requested by business owner Scott Larrick is intended to “substantially contribute to the entertainment, retail, educational, sporting, social, cultural, and arts opportunities for the community.” It will allow more businesses downtown to begin offering alcohol sales in the hopes of drawing more customers.

In a public hearing to collect feedback on the potential district on June 4, local business owner and Downtown Salem Partnership Vice President Wil Kline, the only speaker in attendance, argued that the district would help bring foot traffic into downtown. Also, when customers come to Salem to visit one of the businesses downtown, they often travel from business-to-business, stressing that “retail begets retail.”

Two ordinances were approved to establish new regulations surrounding yard, garage, and similar sales which Councilman Jeff Stockman has said were intended to address complaint received about “perpetual yard sales,” and establish limits for the number of garage sales permitted each year.

One of the ordinances modifies and amends section 1198.04 E of Chapter 1198 Part Eleven of the codified ordinances of the City of Salem, to replace the existing language: “Yard, garage or similar sales are permitted in all districts, except the C-4 and M-3 districts, for a period not to exceed three consecutive days and further provided that such yard or garage sale shall not be permitted on the same property within three months of the previous sale.” With language indicating that “Regulations regarding yard, garage or similar sales are set out,” within the other newly-approved ordinances which creates and adopts section 1198.10 of Chapter 1198 of part eleven of the codified ordinances of the City of Salem, and actually lays out the new restrictions.

Under the new ordinance the number of sales at any given address is limited to six each year and a maximum of one sale in any month with a maximum length of five days. The ordinance also requires any sales to have the sale permit, which was already required to be purchased from the zoning department, “conspicuously posted at the sale,” and outlines violations of the ordinance as a minor misdemeanor. Rather than setting out a particular fee for the permit, the ordinance specifies the fee should be proposed annually by the mayor and approved by city council. If the annual fee schedule is not proposed or council fails to approve one, the prior fee schedule shall remain in place.

The food truck ordinance mandates that any food truck looking to set up within city limits will have to obtain a permit from the zoning department and be inspected by the health and fire departments before operation. It would prohibit operation from 12 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. The ordinance also prohibits food trucks from parking or operating in a public right of way or on any city street outside of special events and would prohibit operation within any of the city’s public parks without authorization from the City Safety Service Director,or Salem Parks Department respectively.

Like the proposed garage sale ordinance rather than setting out a particular fee for the permit, the ordinance specifies the fee should be proposed annually by the mayor and approved by city council. If the annual fee schedule is not proposed or council fails to approve one, the prior fee schedule shall remain in place.

The ordinance also outlines the standards and requirement for how and where solar panels could be mounted to a building’s roof or facade including size, spacing, and location restrictions, and set the maximum height for the panels to be mounted at as “the maximum building height of the zoning district for the building type … or a maximum height of five feet, whichever is less,” to be measured from the point of the roof’s surface “on which is mounted the highest edge of the system.”

Other matters approved included a resolution authorizing the Utilities Commission to advertise for bids and enter contracts for the Salem Reservoir Dam Improvements project.

Council also held a second reading for an ordinance designating the services the City of Salem will provide to a 0.4044-acre property proposed for annexation from Perry Township into to the city of Salem in accordance with Ohio Revised Code Section 709.02.

City council will meet next 7 p.m. July 16.