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AGENDA: Marion County commissioners consider helping fund Hope Plaza construction, bonus pay for crisis workers

The Marion County Board of Commissioners meets Wednesday to consider helping fund construction of new low-income apartments downtown for people fleeing domestic violence. They will also changing language in a collective bargaining agreement with county employees to approving bonus pay for those assigned to respond to crisis calls with police.

AGENDA

Commissioners will consider approving Marion County’s Annual Action Plan, which the county is required to submit to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development by July 11 showing how it allocated federal funds through June 2023.

The board will consider a $250,000 grant to help pay for construction of Hope Plaza, a three-story, low-income apartment building with retail space in downtown Salem for people who have fled domestic violence. The building is a project of the nonprofit Center for Hope and Safety.

Commissioners will consider adding $240,000 to a contract with Avenu Insights & Analytics LLC for software the Marion County Clerk’s Office uses to keep land records. The new contract would total about $2.1 million and be extended by a year.

They will also consider ratifying the Marion County Employees Association collective bargaining agreement for 2022-24. The new agreement incudes about $8,500 in cost-of-living adjustments and $10,400 in total raises. It also includes new language that says if an eligible employee is “assigned to crisis duties” to respond along with law enforcement in a community setting, they would receive a a 5% bonus for all hours worked, according to the agenda item.

The board will consider adding $150,000 to a contract with Trinity Services Group, Inc. for food service management at Marion County’s Juvenile Department. The new contract would total $550,000 and be extended by a final year.

Commissioners will also consider adding $370,300 to a contract with DOWL, LLC for repairing landslides on North Fork Road. The new contract would total about $1.2 million.

-Ardeshir Tabrizian