An all-ages crowd gathered in front of the Salem Public Library Wednesday morning, five minutes before the sliding doors opened at 10 a.m. It included an infant strapped into a harness and seniors with tote bags at the ready. Small children bounced around in front of the doors, and some people chatted while others kept their headphones on and their eyes trained at the entrance.

In many ways, it was business as usual for the library, despite it being the morning after news came that Salem voters had likely passed a new tax levy to save its hours, staff and services from deep cuts. 

As of late Tuesday night, the levy had taken a clear lead with 56% of voters in favor and over 22,300 votes counted, according to state election data. Supporters cautiously claimed victory Wednesday morning as city officials said they’re waiting until later in the week to make definitive plans.

Among the first arrivals at the library Wednesday morning were Jane Cummins-Fidler and Joel Estrin, who have volunteered at the library for over two decades. 

“We did it, we did it,” Cummins-Fidler cheered upon entry. “We saved the library.”

If the measure had failed, the city planned to lay off over 36 people, including half of the library’s staff. The West Salem branch would have closed, and the main branch’s hours would have been cut by half. 

Other city cuts would have left park sprinklers off and bathrooms locked, and classes cut at the city senior center, Center 50+.

Going into election night, the outcome of the levy was anything but certain. 

When they voted unanimously to put the tax on the ballot, Salem’s city councilors asked residents to dig deeper into their pockets despite rising housing and grocery costs, and an uncertain economic future for the country. It was one of three requests for household funds on some Salem ballots, along with renewing taxes for Chemeketa Community College’s facilities, which is narrowly passing, and operating money for the Polk County Fairgrounds, which failed.

Voters roundly rejected the city’s last major effort to raise money via a payroll tax in 2023, with 82% saying no. Councilors attributed the failure to a mistrust of city leadership after a majority voted to impose the tax before a petition brought it to voters. They also cited economic strain on households. 

City polling in the fall showed most likely voters would reject the levy.

Unlike the payroll tax, the levy received endorsements from a wide swath of the community, including most Salem city councilors, the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce, and city police and fire unions. The Homebuilders Association of Marion & Polk Counties and the Marion County Democrats also endorsed it.

The Salem Chamber supported the levy saying it would protect police, fire and emergency services from cuts. 

“Residents are each affected in unique ways when our city government is on the brink of a catastrophic funding deficit. The Salem community rallied around this levy, some to protect libraries, parks, and Center 50+, others to protect public safety budget priority,” Chamber CEO Tom Hoffert said in an emailed statement Wednesday. “Ultimately, the outcome provides Mayor Hoy, fellow City Councilors, and the citizen budget committee with the budgetary tools to keep the city services viable for the multitude of constituents they serve.”

No organized opposition campaign manifested, though distaste for a new tax was apparent in community comment sections, including under Mayor Julie Hoy’s pro-levy Facebook posts. 

David Levy, who co-chaired the Yes for Salem Campaign which knocked on doors, texted voters and distributed lawn signs, said a major contributing factor to the victory was the bipartisan support and long list of endorsements. The campaign raised nearly $75,000 in cash and in-kind contributions as of Election Day.

Members of the Salem city council also knocked on doors and took to social media to promote the tax, and the Fund Our Libraries Now grassroots group put in 80 hours of work to speak with thousands of residents at the library, according to a Monday Facebook post.

“People could see that this was a serious attempt to bring in lots of different perspectives, and to listen to what the public was saying,” Levy said. “That helped us sell this to the public, that this was a serious plan to deal with the city’s shortfall.”

Levy said he was anxious, but feeling positive before the first ballots were released last night. It was the first official glimpse at the outcome of a year of work. He was at an election night party at the Willamette Heritage Center, alongside some library staff and City Librarian Bridget Esqueda who celebrated the results.

“It was nice to get some validation from the residents of Salem that they believe in community services,” Levy said.

Property taxes on most Salem homes and businesses will increase by 98 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, which is typically about half of a home’s market value. It comes out to about $220 per year for the average homeowner. The tax takes effect on July 1, according to the city’s statement in the voter’s pamphlet.

The levy is projected to bring in $14 million in the first years and a total of $76 million over its five-year term. Money collected will go into a separate account, which can only be used on services listed on the ballot: library operations, parks maintenance, Center 50+ and recreation programming. An oversight committee will oversee that account, which will be audited annually.

With that money, library services can potentially be restored to 2023 levels, meaning 48 hours a week at the main branch and 20 hours a week at the West Salem branch.

The city isn’t planning to make the final call until the next round of ballots drop on Thursday, said spokeswoman Courtney Knox Busch in an email Wednesday morning, referring to the outcome as pending.

“I’ve been moved by the outpouring of support for our Library, our 90 parks and countless recreation programs and Center 50+,” said Hoy in a city statement. “So many have come together in support of these treasured community resources. I remain hopeful and I’ll be watching the results of yesterday’s ballot measure closely. I’m looking forward to sharing in the good news for our community.”

If the results hold, the city will revise its budget accounting for the levy money. Then it will need to look ahead, Levy said.

“Figuring out if there’s a way to look at a long-term fix for the funding problems for the city, both in terms of how police and fire are funded, as well as other community services,” he said.

Once the levy is certain, the city’s budget committee will likely amend the budget for the next year to restore services it had planned to cut. The Salem City Council will consider the budget on June 9 before moving to the final stages of approval, said Knox Busch. 

As the librarians prepped to open the doors Wednesday morning, a job advisor asked her client about his preferred job hunting website. A young person rolled his wheelchair toward the front, smiling as a toddler pushed him from behind with both hands. Tweens huddled and discussed the challenges of middle school. Two men arrived with tote bags, one remarking to the other in Spanish about how many people there were. 

When the doors finally opened, more than 40 people flooded inside. Many seats at computers were soon filled, and kids quickly made use of the toys in the Discovery Room upstairs. Teens and adults took books and laptops to tables and chairs, settling in. Library staff were smiling.

The volunteer pair of Cummins-Fidler and Estrin headed to the Friends of the Salem Public Library store to work the desk. Cummins-Fidler said she’d served on the city council four decades ago, and had had her own fair share back then of fighting to fund the library.

This year, she got involved with promoting the levy, tabling to share information about the importance of the library and putting up a lawn sign in her yard. 

“It’s so important to the youth, the toddlers, the seniors,” Cummins-Fidler said of the levy passing. She said teens use the library as a free date spot, with options like movie theaters becoming further out of their price ranges.

She said she was glad to see Center 50+, the city’s senior center, get funding through the levy, too. She said the isolation seniors felt during the pandemic was damaging. 

Estrin said that in his time volunteering at the library, he’s seen the whole swath of the community. He didn’t let himself hope that the levy would pass, he said, not wanting to curse the outcome. He was most excited to see the kids this morning, rushing into the front door.

“This was a vote of money against children, and children won,” he said.

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Jane Cummins-Fidler’s name. Salem Reporter apologizes for the error.

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

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