Tag library
5 takeaways: What’s driving Salem’s rising public safety costs amid city budget crisis
A historic look of Salem’s budget showed spending on police and fire has heavily outpaced inflation, while their staffing hasn’t kept up with rising costs. Here are five key takeaways from two decades of city budget data.
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.
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.
Bridget Esqueda named Salem’s city librarian
Bridget Esqueda, who has served as city librarian in the interim for the past eight months, will continue leading the library as it works to expand accessibility while scaling back spending amid looming budget cuts.
Unicorns, murder mysteries and magical adventures: Here are Salem’s top reads of 2023
Of thousands of books at the Salem Public Library, several titles stood out this year as community favorites. Here are the top book, DVD and “library of things” checkouts of 2023, plus some picks from local librarians.
Salem Public Library to close Sunday, reduce hours starting in January
Amid looming budget cuts and short staffing, the Salem Public Library will close on Sundays and reduce hours at the main branch. The West Salem Branch will only be open two days a week.