The Marion County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday will consider awarding a federal grant to a Keizer nonprofit that provides mentoring to children and teenagers in Marion County, many of whom are currently or at risk of becoming homeless.
READ IT: AGENDA
Commissioners will consider providing $225,000 to Valor Mentoring to cover its costs of expanding to a second location at 441 Chemawa Rd. N in Keizer.
The funding will last through June 2028. It comes from a federal pandemic relief grant intended to reduce homelessness and provide stable housing.
Costs covered by the grant will include hiring two new full-time program coordinators.
The organization provides both group and one-on-one mentorship, including through music, media, arts, community service projects and its recreation facility.
It has existed since 2017 and operated for three and a half years out of its location at 3500 River Rd. N. “However, the lack of additional space has become a serious obstacle to providing services and support to the youth in our community, according to the agenda item. “Community facilities for young people in Keizer are virtually non-existent, resulting in an urgent need for the thousands of underrepresented youth in our area.”
To participate
The commissioners meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday in the Senator Hearing Room at 555 Court Street N.E. Anyone can attend or sign up to give public comment in-person at the meeting. The meeting is streamed live on YouTube.
Transportation planning
The board will consider approving a $280,000 contract with California-based firm DKS Associates, Inc. to update the county’s rural transportation system plan, which was last updated in 2005.
The state Department of Transportation has provided a grant for the county to develop the new plan. The project is estimated to cost around $318,200 in total.
The updated 20-year plan would include east Salem as well as areas outside the urban growth boundary of cities in Marion County.
“The county has experienced continued population growth and economic development, resulting in additional demands on transportation infrastructure from a variety of users – freight, residential and commercial development, agricultural and industrial, tourism, pedestrians and cycling,” the agenda item said.
Garbage rates
On Dec. 6, 2023, there was a public hearing to consider raising garbage collection rates charged by private haulers which contract with Marion County in unincorporated areas. Commissioners approved raising most prices by 4.9% in urban areas and 3.7% in rural areas.
But an investigation by the Public Works Department found errors in three of the adjusted rates.
The board will now hold a public hearing to consider fixing the errors. If approved, commercial customers in rural areas of unincorporated Marion County would pay an additional $17.04 per year for a 65-gallon garbage cart. That would raise the annual rate for such customers from $459.72, the rate approved in December, to $476.76.
Customers in rural areas with loose automated commercial containers would pay an additional $173.04 per year, raising the annual rate from $1,757.52 to $1,930.56. Those in sparse areas would pay an additional $330.72 per year, raising the annual rate from $1,985.88 to $2,316.60.
Commissioners will vote immediately after the public hearing.
New appointment
The board will also consider appointing Debra Wells to the Marion County Justice Reinvestment Council through 2024.
Formed in 2009, the council advises government agencies on policies related to diversion from the criminal justice system and helping people leaving prison reenter the community without reoffending.
Wells is the director of the county’s Behavioral Health Crisis Services Division.
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
SUPPORT OUR WORK – We depend on subscribers for resources to report on Salem with care and depth, fairness and accuracy. Subscribe today to get our daily newsletters and more. Click I want to subscribe!
Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
