The Salem City Council met on Monday, Dec. 11, to finalize plans for a revenue task force and to hear information about reduced hours at the library. They also approved next steps for upcoming crosswalk projects.
Councilor Virginia Stapleton was absent on Monday, and unanimous votes were 8-0.
Revenue task force – APPROVED
Councilors made a few adjustments to the plan for a revenue task force whose members will determine ways to add money to the city’s general fund which pays for services like parks, the library, police and fire. The fund faces a significant budget deficit in 2024.
The council approved the revised plan unanimously.
Using council feedback from the Nov. 27 and Dec. 4 meetings, the proposed task force charter said the group will have between 20 and 30 members with at least two alternates. They would meet at least six times starting in January, through July, and duties may include participation in community meetings and outreach.
Changes the councilors made include that each councilor and the mayor will nominate two people from the applicant pools from their ward, who will go through the standard process used for committees.
That means there will be at least 20 people on the task force, and other applicants may end up being seated if their nominations didn’t meet the set goals for representation. Those goals include a Chamber of Commerce representative, and people from the climate activism group 350 Salem, the Latino Business Alliance, the city employee union and non-voting representatives from social services and the State of Oregon’s Department of Administrative Services.
Councilors also decided to make the $100 stipend per meeting something members could opt into, rather than something to opt out of. Councilors said they wanted to include the stipend option to reduce barriers for low-income people to get involved.
Whatever is not used from the $302,800 councilors approved for consulting, engagement, communication and stipends will return to the general fund.
According to a city timeline, the council will open applications on Tuesday if the council approves the charter on Monday. Applications would close Thursday, Jan. 4, and the agenda includes a draft of the application. Membership selection would go before the council on Jan. 22 for a first meeting on Jan. 29, according to the draft plan.
Library to cut hours – INFORMATION ONLY
The Salem Public Library will close on Sundays starting on Jan. 2 and cut evening hours during the week, citing a lack of staffing and anticipated budget cuts in the next few years. Councilors heard an explanation for the decision and shared their thoughts but didn’t have a vote on the issue.
The main branch will close on Sundays and close two hours earlier, at 6 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday and an hour earlier, at 5 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays. It would be a 27% reduction from 52 hours open a week to 38, according to a chart of the changes.
Councilor Vanessa Nordyke said the decision felt abrupt, and that it puts the library at the bottom of city priorities. She said she would have liked the budget committee or council to weigh in on reducing hours.
City Manager Keith Stahley said he accepted the criticism and apologized for not communicating the updates as clearly as he could have. He said that with nine vacancies, an increase of three since August, library employees were at a breaking point that he needed to respond to immediately.
The city and department opted not to fill the majority of vacancies in preparation for cuts during the next budget cycle. The city plans to fill the City Librarian position and a supervisor position that will become available soon due to a retirement.
Interim City Librarian Bridget Esqueda gave a presentation about how the hours reductions were chosen. It included a count of library use, which showed that Tuesdays through Saturdays were the busiest days of the week at the main branch, and Tuesdays and Saturdays were the most commonly-used days at the West Salem Branch.
People most often used the computers at both branches from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., she said, and checkouts, renewals and returns most often happen between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
“Staff is tired, we’re feeling burnt out and this is why we had to make the changes to conserve the most valuable resource we have at the library, which is staff,” she said, and to prepare for what lies ahead.
Kathy Knock, president of AFSCME Local 2067 which represents Salem’s library workers, told Salem Reporter last week that that staff have struggled since the return to pre-pandemic hours in the spring and have been asking that hours be cut so they can work within their means. She said staff were hoping hours would be reduced as soon as Thanksgiving.
Councilors discussed proposed cuts to the library starting in September which Stahley said attempted to maintain emergency services without eliminating parks and libraries entirely.
“When you look at our priority based budgeting, the library and Center 50+ and parks and recreation score lower than services like police and fire. That doesn’t necessarily say that they have less value to the community, it just means that they are not where we are going to put our dollars if our dollars are limited,” he said. “And our dollars going forward, this year and next year and future years are going to be limited without additional revenues.”
New crosswalk on Northeast Sunnyview Road and Northeast Hollywood Drive – APPROVED
Councilors unanimously approved acquiring property on Northeast Sunnyview Road and Northeast Hollywood Drive, as required to complete a planned crosswalk.
The planned project, currently in the design phase, would add flashing lights at the crosswalk and curb ramps on the east side of the busy intersection, near McKay High School, Blanchet Catholic School and Swegle Elementary School. Construction is scheduled for 2025.
The project is funded by the Oregon Department’s Safe Routes to School program and city gas tax funds.
Tax exemption for multi-family housing on Northeast Commercial Street – APPROVED
Councilors unanimously approved an application for a ten-year property tax exemption for a development on Northeast Commercial Street.
The program is intended to incentivize multi-use housing. The developers are planning two mixed-use buildings at 890 Commercial St. N.E. which would add seven units of housing, according to a staff report from Kristin Retherford, community and urban development director.
Councilors also approved a 50% land use fee reduction for a property at 650 15th St. S.E., which would refund $6,657 to the applicant. The property owner has applied to rezone the property as general industrial after the city recently changed it to multi-family residential. The property owner provided information that the property cannot be used for residential zoning due to a state environmental restriction, according to a report from Retherford.
State funding for crosswalks, guard rails and signals – APPROVED
Councilors unanimously approved applying for $3.8 million in state All Roads Transportation Safety funds for projects in 2027-2030. The money is intended for projects that reduce fatalities and serious injuries on roads.
The city plans to apply for funding for bicycle and pedestrian lanes and crossings, guard rails on exits and traffic signals. A list of proposed projects is included in a staff report from Public Works director Brian Martin.
Changes to low-income housing tax code – APPROVED
Councilors unanimously approved an ordinance that would make changes to the tax code for low-income housing, including requiring the applicant to demonstrate financial viability, and lowering the required annual deposit for capital reserve from $1,200 per unit per year to $450 per unit per year.
Councilors also approved renewing a contract to continue to provide ambulance service within Marion County for another five years.
Original Story:
In their final meeting of the year, Salem city councilors will finalize a plan for a citizen task force to come up with ideas to close the city’s budget deficit by finding new sources of revenue.
Councilors will also consider steps to improve crosswalk safety throughout the city.
How to participate
The council meets Monday, Dec. 11, at 6 p.m. in-person at the city council chambers, 555 Liberty St. S.E., room 220, with the meeting also available to watch online. The meeting will be livestreamed on Capital Community Media’s YouTube channel, with translation to Spanish and American Sign Language available. Anyone may attend the meeting to listen or comment.
The public comment portion of the meeting takes place after opening exercises, such as roll call and the Pledge of Allegiance, and residents are invited to comment on any topic, whether it appears on the agenda or not. If a public comment does not relate to an agenda item, it may be saved for the end of the meeting.
To comment remotely, sign up on the city website between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Monday.
For written comments, email [email protected] before 5 p.m. on Monday, or on paper to the city recorder’s office at the Civic Center, 555 Liberty St. S.E., Room 225. Include a statement indicating the comment is for the public record.
READ IT: Agenda
Revenue task force
Councilors will consider the timeline, form and member selection process of a revenue task force, whose members will determine ways to add money to the city’s general fund which pays for services like parks, the library, police and fire. The fund faces a significant budget deficit in 2024, and the city has begun cutting services like library hours in response.
Using council feedback from the Nov. 27 and Dec. 4 meeting, the proposed task force charter said the group will have between 20 and 30 members with at least two alternates. They would meet at least six times starting in January, through July, and duties may include participation in community meetings and outreach.
Its members would be appointed through the city’s established boards and commissions appointment process. The city will seek diversity of lived experience, life stages, ethnicity and backgrounds.
City council members will appoint one representative from their wards, and the city also seeks to include a Chamber of Commerce representative, and people from the climate activism group 350 Salem, the Latino Business Alliance, the city employee union and non-voting representatives from social services and the State of Oregon’s Department of Administrative Services.
According to a city timeline, the council will open applications on Tuesday if the council approves the charter on Monday. Applications would close Friday, Jan. 4, and the agenda includes a draft of the application. Membership selection would go before the council on Jan. 22 for a first meeting on Jan. 29, according to the draft plan.
Members would receive a stipend of $100 per meeting, which can be waived upon request. The city does not plan to provide child care, “but task force meetings will be family-friendly and open to those with caregiving responsibilities.”
To conduct the task force, councilors will also be considering $302,800 from the General Fund contingency. Consulting firm Moss Adams who is managing the task force would receive $120,000, DHM would receive $45,000 to conduct polls and surveys and Parachute Strategies would get $55,000 for community engagement and communication.
Library to cut hours
The Salem Public Library will close on Sundays starting on Jan. 2 and cut evening hours during the week, citing a lack of staffing and anticipated budget cuts in the next few years. Councilors will hear an information report about the decision, but will not be voting on it.
The main branch will close entirely on Sundays and close two hours earlier, at 6 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday and an hour earlier, at 5 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays. It would be a 27% reduction from 52 hours open a week to 38, according to a chart of the changes.
The west Salem branch will see even deeper cuts, a reduction from 30 hours a week to 10. Currently open five days a week, the branch will soon only be open two days a week, from 1 – 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
Read more about the decision, including staff and department perspectives, here:
New crosswalk on Northeast Sunnyview Road and Northeast Hollywood Drive
Councilors will consider acquiring property on Northeast Sunnyview Road and Northeast Hollywood Drive, as required to complete a planned crosswalk.
The planned project, currently in the design phase, would add flashing lights at the crosswalk and curb ramps on the east side of the busy intersection, near McKay High School, Blanchet Catholic School and Swegle Elementary School. Construction is scheduled for 2025.
The project is funded by the Oregon Department’s Safe Routes to School program and city gas tax funds.
Tax exemption for multi-family housing on Northeast Commercial Street
Developers planning two mixed-use buildings at 890 Commercial St. N.E. have applied for a ten-year property tax exemption under the city’s program to incentivize multi-use housing.
Councilors will consider approving the application, which meets ten of 19 public benefit requirements and will have seven units, according to a staff report from Kristin Retherford, community and urban development director.
If councilors approve, the city would forgo about $3,362 in property tax revenue on the building once it’s completed.
On Monday, councilors will also be considering a 50% land use fee reduction for a property at 650 15th St. S.E., which would refund $6,657 to the applicant. The property owner has applied to rezone the property as general industrial after the city recently changed it to multi-family residential. The property owner provided information that the property cannot be used for residential zoning due to a state environmental restriction, according to a report from Retherford.
State funding for crosswalks, guard rails and signals
Councilors will consider applying for $3.8 million in state All Roads Transportation Safety funds for projects in 2027-2030. The money is intended for projects that reduce fatalities and serious injuries on roads.
The city plans to apply for funding for bicycle and pedestrian lanes and crossings, guard rails on exits and traffic signals. A list of proposed projects is included in a staff report from Public Works director Brian Martin.
Changes to low-income housing tax code
Councilors will vote on an ordinance that would make changes to the tax code for low-income housing, including requiring the applicant to demonstrate financial viability, and lowering the required annual deposit for capital reserve from $1,200 per unit per year to $450 per unit per year.
Other agenda items
-Councilors will consider renewing a contract to continue to provide ambulance service within Marion County for another five years.
-The Salem Public Art Commission will present highlights from 2023, including art in the new Public Works Operations Building and steps to make public art more accessible.
-Councilors will hear an update from the pre-design phase of the $39.5 million civic center improvement project funded by the 2022 infrastructure bond. The project will include seismic retrofitting and replacement of skylights, roofs, back-up power and an update to the Peace Plaza.
-Councilors will see a list of changes to their 2023 committee assignments.
-Councilors will see a list of city purchases made in October.
Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251.
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.
