City seeking volunteers to make sure levy dollars are spent properly
The city of Salem is calling for applications to join an oversight committee tasked with ensuring money from a recent city property tax increase are properly spent.
The funds come from the city levy accepted by voters in May which dedicated money to parks operations, the library and Center 50+. Residents interested in applying for one of the four slots on the committee can do so online by Sept. 26, a city release said Thursday.
The four committee members will include representatives for Center 50+, parks and recreation, and the Salem Public Library with one member at-large, the city said. The four person team will be joined by three city councilors. The committee will be appointed later by Mayor Julie Hoy.
The levy funds allowed the city to narrowly avoid sweeping cuts to city services that would otherwise have taken hold over the summer.
Groups including the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce endorsed the tax measure in part because of the promise that a committee would oversee city spending.
The levy is expected to raise about $14 million in its first year, and about $76 million over five years.
With the levy in place, city services will go on uninterrupted, and in some cases will be expanded, despite an ongoing multimillion dollar budget deficit in the city’s general fund.
The committee will provide annual reports to the Salem City Council, the city said.
The committee is expected to convene quarterly, and the city’s application asks applicants if they are willing and able to commit to a minimum of 75% of scheduled meetings.
RELATED COVERAGE:
Salem city councilors vote Monday on levy oversight committee, budget
Contact reporter Joe Siess: [email protected] or 503-335-7790.
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Joe Siess is a reporter for Salem Reporter. Joe joined Salem Reporter in 2024 and primarily covers city and county government but loves surprises. Joe previously reported for the Redmond Spokesman, the Bulletin in Bend, Klamath Falls Herald and News and the Malheur Enterprise. He was born in Independence, MO, where the Oregon Trail officially starts, and grew up in the Kansas City area.
