A screengrab of the Salem City Council at its first meeting of the year 2021.
The Salem City Council meets Monday to consider free parking at the main library parkade, approving the “Our Salem” vision which will guide amendments to the city’s long range planning documents and discuss the city’s legislative priorities in the current session.
The council will consider a resolution that would establish either 90-minute or three hours of free parking at the main library parkade when it’s expected to re-open this summer.
“Potential library patrons experience access barriers in both the cost to park and limited payment methods,” the staff report reads.
City staff have recommended the 90-minute free parking, while the Library Advisory Board and Library Seismic Retrofit Project Committee recommend the three-hour option.
This year the city is updating its comprehensive plan, titled the “Our Salem” project, to plan for the next 20 years of growth.
The council will consider approving the “vision,” a document that focuses on housing, neighborhood hubs, mixed use, and employment.
The council will also adopt positions on legislative priorities like a house bill that would provide $5 million of funding for a navigation center in Salem, a house bill that would provide grants for cities to create mobile crisis intervention teams and a bill that would allow historic properties in Salem to receive a lower tax assessment through 2028.
A navigation center is a facility that would be open 24 hours a day to help people find aid with housing or other more immediate basic needs, such as toilets or potable water.
To participate: The meeting starts at 6 p.m. Monday and is streamed live on YouTube. Submit comments on agenda items by 5:00 p.m. the day of the meeting at [email protected]. Public comment and testimony may also be provided during the meeting via Zoom. Please pre-register between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting at the following link: https://www.cityofsalem.net/Pages/Public-Comment-at-Salem-City-CouncilMeeting.aspx
-Saphara Harrell
