The board of the Salem Area Mass Transit District will meet Thursday to consider new charging equipment for electric buses, along with reports on assaults against staff and upcoming projects.

The regular meeting is taking place as the transit agency, known as Cherriots, has received heightened attention in recent weeks after proposing to impose a new 0.7% payroll tax on employers to increase weekend bus hours and build new transit stations. The board recently indicated that it plans to delay the tax until 2027, and may reduce the rate depending on the outcome of state policy this year.

There is no action or discussion about the tax on the meeting agenda.

Written public comment for the Thursday, Aug. 28, meeting includes opposition to the tax from Keizer Mayor Cathy Clark on behalf of the Keizer City Council, and support from Salem City Councilor Mai Vang.

Clark wrote that the tax would be a burden on employers, and that the council believes the decision should go to voters.

“From the Keizer City Council’s perspective Cherriots has not made a clear and convincing case for immediate funding. We would welcome data that validates the use of the current system, data that shows the demand for expanding service, and a financial plan based on the current fund balance,” she wrote.

Vang, citing the high proportion of riders that rely on the service for work and school, called the increase an investment into the community, and said the community has called for increased weekend hours.

“I believe that Cherriots has been doing the best it can with the current funding available,” she wrote.

The board plans to vote on the tax in October, after a series of public open houses planned for Sept. 8, 16, 22 and 30. More details will be discussed at Thursday’s meeting, said General Manager Allan Pollock in an email to Salem Reporter.

Read the agenda and public comments here.

Assault data

The latest data for threats and assaults against bus drivers and security staff, for April through June of this year, shows a slight decrease from the months prior, and a bigger drop from the same months of 2024.

There were 15 reports of assaults against Cherriots’ staff for April through June, mostly verbal threats of violence. There was one physical assault reported in May, after a rider spat in a security officer’s face, a confrontation which also accounted for two of the reported verbal threats.

There were 16 such reports for January through March of this year. April through June of 2024 saw 22 such reports.

New electric bus charging equipment

The board will consider whether to buy new charging equipment for its fleet of electric buses. They would pay Puget Sound Solar up to $771,913 for the project. If approved, it would install the new charging equipment at the Del Webb Operations Headquarters within a five-week timeline. Most of the money would come from a federal grant, with Cherriots paying a $154,383 match. 

New vehicle to move buses

The board will consider purchasing a vehicle to tow buses in need of maintenance, to replace the current system of calling a flatbed truck from Portland and waiting several hours for a tow when one breaks down.

Due to the heavier weight of electric buses, maintenance manager Zach Leeth and Chief Operations Officer Tom Dietz are requesting up to $147,375 for a Yard Tug, which would allow them to move the buses. The money would come from existing federal grants, according to their report, with a $29,475 match from Cherriots.

Triennial report

Every 3 years, the Federal Transit Administration reviews Cherriots’ compliance with its requirements, in 23 areas from management to maintenance and accessibility. The review found no issues.

Cherriots was among only three of the 15 transit districts in the region to be reviewed this year that were found to be totally compliant, according to a staff report from Denise LaRue, chief financial officer.

“This speaks highly to the work that our staff do on a daily basis to remain compliant with federal regulations, and the support that staff receives from leadership and our Board of Directors,” LaRue wrote in a staff report.

Informational reports

The Cherriots board will hear several annual informational reports about work done in the past year. They include:

-A report on completed and upcoming projects. Cherriots worked on 22 projects in the past year, totaling around $36.4 million according to the report. Completed projects include upgrades to fire safety equipment, cyber security and maintenance equipment.

Board members will also hear updates about ongoing projects, including a new South Salem Transit Center, fence and security updates at the Del Webb Facility and a study into better connecting cyclists with public transit.

-An annual report on the Commuter Options Program, which seeks to expand the ways people can get around the community. 

Cherriots’ vanpool subsidy program coordinates carpools across cities in the region, such as trips from Sheridan and Dallas to Salem. It was used by 216 people in the past year, who took over 92,000 trips together according to the report. Another finding from the report was that Cherriots’ Group Pass Program, which provides discounted passes to employers, supported over 4,500 trips, the majority of them through Book Bin and the Half Penny Restaurant.

Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251.

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