Members of Salem’s budget committee have asked City Manager Keith Stahley to restore funding for summer movies and concerts in Riverfront Park, though it’s not yet clear where the money would come from.
The committee, which includes all Salem city councilors, met Wednesday and considered several proposals to pull money from another area of the city’s budget to pay for the programs.
Ultimately, councilors tabled those proposals while asking Stahley to return with a plan next week.
“We will come back with at least one path to solve this small problem,” Stahley said. The cost of restoring movies and concerts is about $75,000. The city’s proposed general fund budget for next year is $188 million.
Weigh in on Salem’s budget
The city’s budget committee meets Wednesday, May 1, and Wednesday, May 8. The committee votes to recommend the budget to the city council, which typically approves a budget in June.
Anyone can attend the meetings, give written testimony or speak live to the committee. Written comments can be emailed to [email protected].
Meetings start at 6 p.m. in the city council chambers at city hall, 555 Liberty St. S.E. Information about meetings, including agendas and a link to sign up for public comment, is posted on the Budget Committee page on the city website.
Council President Virginia Stapleton, whose ward includes much of downtown, said at the meeting she’s spoken to downtown businesses that typically see more people going out to eat or drink on days with park events.
“Their business increases, there is a lot more foot traffic downtown … they’re not excited about losing that opportunity throughout the summer,” she said.
Stapleton proposed cutting $75,000 from the city’s contract for business retention with SEDCOR, the regional economic development nonprofit.
Councilor Jose Gonzalez raised concerns that the cut could reduce money available for a Latino Business Alliance program helping Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs get small businesses off the ground. SEDCOR helps with the program. The committee ultimately voted to table the plan.
A proposal from an earlier meeting to take the money from the city’s hotel taxes was tabled again after City Attorney Dan Atchison said he didn’t believe it was an allowable use because the events don’t draw in visitors from out of town.
Stahley’s initial budget proposal, released earlier this month, called for cutting about $400,000 from city recreation programs as part of a larger plan intended to balance the city’s budget.
Parks department managers announced in mid-April that they wouldn’t offer the summer programs or the annual kids relay this year due to expected budget cuts, sparking community frustration.
“I’m frustrated that it’s being struck and I want to challenge this committee to find the funds to fund events like this,” said Andrew Cohen, a budget committee member. “I am a father of three kids and there are many many children in this community that are being hit especially hard with this budget.”
He called the proposed budget the most unfriendly to families since 2009, when Salem made substantial cuts during the Great Recession.
While the committee has discussed restoring money for summer events, this year’s kids relay won’t take place, city spokeswoman Elizabeth Kennedy-Wong said Friday. It’s typically run in May.
Councilor Julie Hoy, who’s running for mayor, questioned why parks department managers cut the event when it takes place during the current budget year.
“The impact on the community has been great,” she said. “The disappointment and the fear, and I would like to know how that happened.”
Deputy City Manager Scott Archer said he would return with clarification.
The proposed city budget would also close all splash pads during the summer except the one in Riverfront Park. That’s due to proposed cuts to the parks maintenance budget, which call for shutting off irrigation systems in parks to save maintenance and lawn mowing costs.
The affected parks are Wes Bennett, Fairmount, Englewood, West Salem, Northgate and River Road. Shutting off irrigation would save about $266,000 in maintenance costs, according to the agenda.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
