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.
Tag: city budget
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.
