COLUMN: Local government grows, but population grows much faster in Salem

The city of Salem is not alone in its struggle to fund the services it is expected to provide – services like police protection, firefighting, libraries, clean water and the like. Many cities, counties and other local government entities around the country are struggling as well. 

The reason, simply put, is that local government services are linked to population growth. As population grows, so must services. That is expensive. But many local governments are constrained…