Your Monday evening update on Salem news

Good evening, Salem.

We’ll cut to the chase: the Salem City Council is not considering shutting down the city library.

Western University of Health Sciences Lebanon Oregon

In fact, there’s no council vote planned for tonight’s meeting on any budget changes or cuts.

Rumors and outrage have spread rapidly on social media this weekend, apparently triggered by a slideshow from a budget committee meeting last week taken out of context.

The slide was rehashing discussions councilors had last fall about hypothetical scenarios, not presenting a current proposal from city leaders. And the budget committee meeting is separate from tonight’s council meeting, which is focused on discussing the future of Salem’s ambulance service.

Of course, anything is possible – the council could vote to close City Hall, auction it off to the highest bidder, and use the money from the sale to dye the Willamette River pink on Wednesdays. But neither the city manager who drafts the budget, nor anything close to a majority of councilors have indicated they’ll put forward or support a plan to close the library.

It’s understandable people were confused. Most people lead busy lives and don’t have hours to cross-reference hundreds of pages of documents or recall the context from a meeting last September.

That’s why you have Salem Reporter. When you subscribe and support our work, you hire us to that for you.

In our story today, reporter Abbey McDonald explains what’s actually happening with the city budget, including deep cuts that are on the table and could begin this summer. The library wouldn’t close, but it would see further hours reductions and reduced staffing for the second time this year.

She also explains how you can weigh in and get involved as the city’s budget committee, revenue task force and the council decide on Salem’s financial future.

If anything changes, or there is a serious plan to close Salem’s library, we will let you know. And we’ll keep looking for ways to keep you informed as city leaders weigh what they described as a “smorgasbord of awful” budget cuts.

Below is some of today’s news. You can always find our latest stories on our website here.

www.salemreporter.com

Library will not shut down, city says, but more cuts on the table

Salem city leaders are preparing a budget that would further cut services at the Salem Public Library and Center 50+ without closing either. The city’s budget committee will continue to…

www.salemreporter.com

“It’s changed who I am:” a Salem woman’s journey into homelessness, and back out again

Toni Maries and her dog, Tucker, are two of the new residents at Sequoia Crossings, Salem’s newest affordable housing complex. Formerly a military spouse, her path into becoming homeless, and…

www.salemreporter.com

Marion DA urges gun violence steps as teen sentenced for shooting 2

The Marion County District Attorney is urging ‘better, earlier’ intervention to stem gun violence in Salem. The remarks came after a local teen was sentenced for shooting two people in…

www.salemreporter.com

With state money, Bridgeway will build long-awaited sobering center in Salem

Oregon legislators gave Salem’s largest addiction treatment provider $11.5 million to open two residential treatment houses and build a new clinic to house a seven-bed sobering center alongside detox services.

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Library will not shut down, city says, but more cuts on the table

“It’s changed who I am:” a Salem woman’s journey into homelessness, and back out again

Marion DA urges gun violence steps as teen sentenced for shooting 2

With state money, Bridgeway will build long-awaited sobering center in Salem

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