The Salem City Council meets Monday at 6 p.m. to consider a plan for installing electric vehicle chargers at city facilities, judge appointments and holiday celebration funding.
Councilors will vote on whether to apply for a grant from Portland General Electric’s Make-Ready program, to develop electric vehicle charging infrastructure for city fleet vehicles.
The charging stations would be installed at the city shops complex and the library parkade, and have a projected cost of $357,983. The PGE grant would cover a little over half, and would require $172,373 from the City and a ten-year energy commitment, according to the agenda.
The city plans to install 20 ports at the shops complex, at 1410 22nd St. S.E., and six at the library at 585 Liberty St. SE, according to a fleet partner study.
The city plans to replace part of its fleet with electric vehicles within five years. At both locations, they estimate a total of about $895,148 in savings from clean fuel credit revenue, incentives, and avoiding fuel, maintenance and carbon emissions costs, according to PGE documents.
The council will also vote on the appointments of Michelle Vlach-Ing and Sara Williams for two year terms as Municipal Judge Pro Tempore. Both are recommended by Municipal Judge Jane Aiken.
Councilors will decide on allocating $15,200 to the Salem Main Street Association to pay city fees for the Nov. 26 holiday and tree lighting event. The funding would come from the Cultural Tourism Fund, which is paid for by Transient Occupancy Taxes.
The council will also vote on annexing a roughly 1.95 acre territory at 5536 Skyline Road S., and change its designation to multi-family residential.
Councilors will consider a resolution to modify 14 fees to offset the costs to provide fire department ambulance services, raising most charges per service and by the hour. An emergency dispatch with an increased level of advanced life support procedures is proposed to be raised $200, from $1,650 to $1,850 per service for patients and their insurance.
To participate: The meeting will be held virtually at 6 p.m., and will be streamed live on Capital Community Media’s YouTube channel. It is also available to Comcast Cable subscribers on CC: Media Channel 21.
Public comments are due by 5 p.m. Monday, to [email protected]. To provide public comment and testimony during the meeting via zoom, pre-register before 2 p.m. here.
Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-704-0355.
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Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian, where she covered labor issues, health care and social services. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.
