Tag city budget
Timeline: How Salem’s city government got to its current budget crisis
City leaders have spent years warning of an impending budget cliff, studying the issue and proposing ways to raise money to keep police, fire, the library and parks operating at current levels. Here’s a timeline of their efforts over the past seven years.
Salem Housing Authority pulls out of homeless outreach effort due to limited budget
For the past eight years, the Salem Housing Authority has helped unsheltered people move into permanent housing. Following budget cuts, they’ll pivot to focusing on keeping people housed, leaving homeless outreach work to other agencies in the network they helped build.
Salem police, fire spending skyrocketed over 2 decades while staff stayed flat, budget data shows
Salem Reporter took a historic look at the budget for two of the city’s most expensive departments, police and fire. The agencies’ staffing hasn’t kept up with rising costs, and their spending has grown far faster than inflation.
City efficiencies committee says cutting costs alone won’t help plug deficit
A group of business executives tasked with reviewing the city’s budget in search of possible ways to save said Friday the city is already doing far more with less resources compared to others in Oregon.
Salem budget committee discusses rosier, but still severe budget deficit projection
The Salem city budget committee met on Wednesday night to discuss the updated projection for the city’s budgetary deficit. Last Friday, the city announced that its forecast review team, a group convened by City Manager Keith Stahley, downgraded the deficit projection from about $18 million to roughly $14 million.
In poll, Salem residents say they won’t pay more property taxes for public safety, library or parks
Results of a city-commissioned poll released Wednesday show any city effort to bring a property tax increase to voters would likely fail at the ballot box. Councilors will discuss the results and what they mean for the city’s budget deficit at a meeting Monday.
Salem police cutting downtown, behavioral health teams
Salem police will be less able to respond to downtown nuisances and people in behavioral health crisis after disbanding two units on Jan. 1, 2025. Police Chief Trevor Womack says his staffing hasn’t kept up with rising service demand.
Vast majority of city council say they won’t close the library
Seven of nine Salem city councilors told Salem Reporter they would not vote for a city budget that closed the Salem Public Library, while two didn’t respond. But most said cuts will likely be needed.
Fire chief seeks payroll tax to fund 14 firefighters, cut response times
Last year, around a third of Salemites who called 911 had to wait more than five and a half
minutes for help to come. The Salem Fire Department, facing an increasing number of calls, hopes to add staff to improve response times.