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Governmental Affairs - Local Issues

Local Issues Archive
 

May 13th, 2008
City Council continues to move through annexation cases

Salem City Council continued to direct staff to gather information about annexations which may appear on the November 2008 general election ballot.

Two annexations east of the city limits received public hearings at Monday's meeting. There were no residents interested in testifying in regards to either annexation.

15 additional annexations were also on the Council agenda. These parcels of land located in varying geographic regions at the edges of the City (west, east, and south) will receive public hearings in the future. City staff has been directed to gather more information relating the these parcels of land and the fiscal impact they may have on the budget.

April 29th, 2008
Council Chamber packed as Helicopter debate ensues

Virtually every seat was filled for Monday's City Council meeting on April 28th. Proponents and opponents showed up in droves to provide their testimony on whether or not Leading Edge Aviation should be allowed to operate a helicopter school from McNary Field at Salem's Airport.

The Bend-based company has expressed interest in location at Salem's Airport after bankrupt Silver State Helicopters shut down there helicopter school earlier this year. The Leading Edge Aviation operation would be a satellite office for the company providing flight training for private and commercial licensing. Daily operations would be from 7am to sunset.

Opponents to a new flight school in Salem included neighbors upset with the noise and flight path of the pervious flight school, Silver State Helicopters.

Proponents also showed up in force with a number of past Silver State students expressing their great desire to have another flight school located here to further their training education.

Council has not taken a position on the matter as of yet and has given Leading Edge Aviation the opportunity to meet with Neighborhood Association groups to work through the concerns of residents.

In other news, both the Strategic Economic Development Corporation, or SEDCOR and the Salem Convention and Visitors Association or SCVA presented annual reports to the City of Salem. President of SEDCOR Ray Burstedt expressed optimism about current and future opportunities in locating higher paying jobs to add to Salem's manufacturing job base.

CEO of the SCVA Angie Morris also shared positive news relating to the growth Salem has seen in recent years as a part of the tourism industry. Those facts include growth in Transit Occupancy Revenue of 60% between 2005-06 and 2006-07, travel industry employment up by 6.1%, and a 17% increase in travelsalem.com traffic over a years time.

April 15th, 2008
Volunteers recognized by City Staff, Annexation Public Hearings begin

According to City of Salem staff, the commitments of volunteers to the City has added up to over 275,000 hours of service which is equivalent to 132 full-time employees this past fiscal year. That work is valued at $5.1 million. City staff and Salem City Council has continuously praised the work of volunteers over the years for their contributions to different City departments.

The first of numerous annexations received its public hearing this past Monday. Roughly 26 annexations are expected to be placed on the November ballot for voter consideration. City Council is expected to hear more annexation testimony beginning in May and through the summer months.

Discussion relating to the city owned land adjacent to the future Kroc Community Center was also on the Council's agenda. The Council moved to obtain more input from the public regarding their preferences for the land. In past plans, the adjacent land had been designated for a city park and Council is interested in collecting feedback from neighbors regarding the amenities they would like to see if a park were to be considered.

April 8th, 2008
Go Downtown! Moves Forward, Public Hearings extended

City Council Chambers was full last evening as churchgoers expressed their support for looking into a modification to the Central Business District zone. Currently religious organizations are only allowed to occupy historic buildings downtown that contain a theatre. The recommendation which was moved forward by City Council last night is to allow religious organizations as permitted uses downtown, which would expand their flexibility in finding available space for worship.

"I want to commend the Council for directing staff to look into this issue," said Sam Skillern, Executive Director of Salem Leadership Foundation.

A public hearing will be set in 4-6 months after City staff works through amendments to Salem Revised Code (SRC) Chapter 154.

In other news, final notices were received by four property owners in downtown Salem to allow them to provide input on the newly formed Economic Improvement District or EID. The assessment for downtown property owners will raise $200,000 for marketing and promotion for Salem's core area. In order to stop the assessment, property owners representing at least 33% of the square footage downtown needed to participate in a remonstrance or objection to the self-imposed assessment. A total of 49 properties representing 20.04% were opposed to the EID which was not enough to stop its creation.

Also, public hearings on the annexation of 5122 Hazel Drive NE and proposed changes to the Transportation System Development Charge (TSDC) we extended. The public hearing regarding the annexation will take place on April 14th and the TSDC hearing will be held on May 5th.

Council also reviewed the 5-year Capital Improvement Program or CIP. According to the City staff report, the CIP is a five-year plan for the construction or acquisition of major public assets based on the City-adopted master plans, goals and policies and anticipated revenue. The document is available through the City of Salem website, www.cityofsalem.net.

"I'll vote for the CIP knowing that we'll be looking at it again this fall," said City Council Dan Clem.

April 1st, 2008
Council moves forward with Street/Bridge Bond

Salem City Council last night voted to move forward in preparing a street/bridge bond for the November 2008 general election ballot. The motion approved last night directs City of Salem staff to prepare the measure, ballot title, explanatory statement, and other documents necessary to refer to the voters the general obligation bond.

"We haven't been investing in our infrastructure and it's time we step up and do it," said Mayor Janet Taylor.

The total cost of the bond is $99.8 million which equates to $0.27 cents per $1,000 of tax assessed property value. If the bond were to pass in November, an owner of a $200,000 home would pay roughly $55 per year for the street and bridge projects.

Due to retiring debt, property owners are expected to see only a slight increase in their tax payment (see graph below).

One last minute change was made to the project list as a result of the vote in Council Chambers last night. An intersection expansion project at Commercial and Kuebler in south Salem has been removed from the funded project list and replaced with the expansion of Kuebler Boulevard from Sunnyside Road to Lone Oak Road.

The addition results in the funding needed to expand Kuebler Boulevard to 2 lanes in both directions from Interstate 5 to Lone Oak Road. Some private and public works funds outside of the street/bridge bond proposal will be used for expansion of Kuebler from I-5 to Commercial Street.

"Models and traffic counts justify a build out to Lone Oak," said Transportation Services Manager Mark Becktel. He also noted that build out further west beyond Lone Oak would build capacity for future congestion but isn't justified based on current traffic counts.

Council is expected to approve the measure, ballot title, and explanatory statement for the street/bridge proposal later this month.

City of Salem voters have not passed a bond for infrastructure improvements since 1995.

In other news, City Council will hold a public hearing later in the month of April regarding the operation of a helicopter school interested in locating at Salem's Airport. Leading Edge Aviation, based out of Bend, has expressed interest in operating a flight training school in Salem.

Residents both for and against the flight school shared their views on whether a hearing should be held.

March 18th, 2008
The decision by the Salem City Council to move forward with a street/bridge bond on the November ballot is still in the works. A motion made last night by City Councilor Brad Nanke closed the public hearing while leaving the written record open through March 24th at 5pm. Council is scheduled to deliberate the potential street/bridge bond on March 31st.

Although the public hearing was open on Monday night, no additional public residents testified. However, written letters were submitted over the course the past week and will still be accepted through the 24th.

In other news, the City Council did approve a memorandum of understanding with the Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation. 310 acres of land on Minto-Brown Island could be purchased by the state and ultimately leased to the City. The 6-2 vote in support of the agreement marks one of the first steps in the planned connection of Minto-Brown Island and Riverfront Parks across the Willamette River slough.

March 11th, 2008
City Council moved quickly through their consent calendar on Monday night and into a public hearing for a proposed street/bridge bond which could appear on the November ballot for City of Salem residents.

Just over ten people provided testimony relating to the proposed bond, with the majority expressing their support for the package. The public hearing will remain open for residents still interested in providing feedback on the $98.6 million bond until this coming Monday, March 17th.

The package includes projects in all areas of the City and is said to help relieve congestion, maintain/rebuild current pavements/bridges, and improve safety throughout the community's transportation system.

March 4th, 2008
City Council addressed a light meeting agenda on Monday night, March 3rd adjourning in roughly an hour. On Wednesday, March 5th, Mayor Taylor and Councilors Rogers, Sullivan, and Tesler will represent the City in an Oregon State Hospital and Penitentiary Properties Area Plan Stakeholder meeting hosted by the Oregon State Department of Administrative Services.

In other news, Council asked City staff for more information before any implementation of parking permit increases were considered for Salem's downtown.

"I'd really like to have outreach to folks that have blocks of permits," said Mayor Taylor. To date, blocks of permit parking spaces in downtown parking garages are held by a few parties. Taylor expressed interest in learning more about how widely they are used.

The Council also quick approved an amendment to the Economic Improvement District motion made last Monday, extending the deadline for certain parties downtown to community their support or opposition to an Economic Improvement District. The revised deadline is now Monday, April 7th.

February 26th, 2008
Council shows support for downtown Economic Improvement District

City Council held a public hearing on the evening of February 25th for residents to openly discuss the merits of moving forward with an Economic Improvement District, or EID for downtown Salem. In an 8-0 unanimous vote (Counilor DeHart was absent), Council made a motion to support the district. The public hearing will remain open for the owner of the Equitable Center who failed to receive a second notice of last night's hearing. As a result, Council will give that sole property owner 30 more days to share their support or opposition to the proposed district.

A number of business owners, downtown residents, and property owners shared their testimony in support of the effort with one individual testifying in opposition.

"This was envisioned in 2001 and 2002," said Doug VandeGriend, current Secretary for Go Downtown Salem. "Its been a long, long road but we've got there."

Go Downtown Salem! is the non-profit organization that will receive funding as a result of the move forward with an Economic Improvement District. An annual assessment to property owners to support the efforts of Go Downtown Salem! will total 7 cents per square foot for commercial property and 2 cents per square foot for unimproved property and parking lots.

"I am very much in favor of the Go Downtown Salem group," said Christi Finholt, owner of downtown Salem's Blue Pepper art, music & internet cafe.

Finholt also expressed excitement in seeing continued growth and expansion in Salem's core area.

To view a PowerPoint presentation featured at last night's City Council meeting, click here. The file includes specific information relating to the future plans for Go Downtown Salem!

February 21st, 2008
Chamber Board takes Strong Stands in Support

Unanimous votes in favor of Chemeketa Community College, streets and bridges, and a major downtown project dominate discussion at the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce February Board of Directors meeting.

As a major election year begins to take shape, business leaders begin to set priorities to assist in shaping the direction and momentum behind local needs.

Chemeketa Community College
Chemeketa Community College has made the decision to move forward with a $92 million bond on the May ballot. If passed, the average homeowner in Marion, Polk, and Yamhill counties would pay $29 per year to support the capital investments included in the package.

Members of the Board and Governmental Affairs Team applauded Chemeketa leadership for moving quickly to take advantage of an opportunity to go to the voters in May. Businesspeople cited ongoing challenges in training and empowering the next generation of Salem area workers looking to Chemeketa for needed professional education.

Capital improvements for a Health Sciences Center, Public Safety Building, and Industrial Technology Building would cater to growing demand for nurses, computer technicians, emergency medical technicians or EMT's, firefighters, plumbers, electricians, and other trade skills. 

Chemeketa will face the additional challenge of getting at least 50% of registered voters to cast a ballot in May due to state double majority requirements.

City of Salem Streets & Bridges
Investments in street and bridge infrastructure throughout the City of Salem was given high priority by the Salem Chamber Board. A detailed project list of improvements for all regions of the city focus on relieving congestion, maintaining and rebuilding existing pavements/bridges, and improving safety.

City Council will hold a public hearing to make decisions on the formulated project list on Monday, March 10th. The Salem Chamber will encourage city leadership to keep the total cost of the bond package under $100 million as a part of public testimony.

Voters supported similar bond measures for streets and bridges in 1992 and 1995 and all 33 promised projects were completed.

If City Council does move forward in putting the expected street/bridge bond on the November 2008 ballot and are successful, property owners would see only a slight increase in taxes as the City continues to retire debt from previous bond offerings (see chart below).

If the City were unsuccessful in passing a streets and bridges bond in 2008, the next likely opportunity would be in 2010 with corresponding improvements being made in 2011 and 2012. Local businesses are looking to work hard in supporting efforts to get the bond passed this year to avoid additional costs into the future as streets and bridges exponentially deteriorate.

Downtown Colson Project
The Colson family in their commitment to Salem, is proposing a major development at the southeast corner of Chemeketa and Liberty streets in the heart of downtown. The multi-million dollar project would be yet another catalyst in embracing mixed use developments to boost Salem's local economy.

The Board voted to unanimously support the demolition of the current building at the site as a necessary step if any redevelopment project is to occur there. The current building on the site has stood vacant for over 7 years.

February 19th, 2008
Council holds special meeting to interview Planning Commission applicants

Salem City Council interviewed 10 applicants for 3 open Planning Commission positions the evening of February 19th. In addition to the interviews, each Salem resident interested in the open positions submitted written answers to a series of City Council questions relating to the purpose and role of the Planning Commission.

The 3 chosen appointees include:

-  Roger Budke of Ward 7. Budke has been retired for the past 10 years formerly working as a City of Salem urban planner.

- Tom Gallagher of Ward 8. Gallagher works as a government relations consultant.

- Thomas Smith of Ward 6. Smith is an accounts payable coordinator and current Chairperson of the Northeast Salem Community Association, or NESCA Neighborhood Association.

February 4th, 2008
Council approves changes to water/wastewater methodology

Salem City Council approved changes to the Public Works Department's system development charge or SDC methodology Monday. The move will impact the way in which water/wastewater revenue relating to residential and commercial growth is collected and does not apply to ratepayers. The Homebuilders Association for Marion and Polk Counties did provide testimony reluctantly supporting the changes and recommended that there be a 4-year phase in of the proposed SDC increases. That change was supported unanimously by City Council.

For a detailed report on the SDC methodology, visit:
http://www.cityofsalem.net/departments/spubwork/

Also, City Council will be interviewing 15 people for 3 open positions on the Salem Planning Commission. The interviews will take place in Council Chambers on Tuesday, February 19th.

On Wednesday, February 13th, the State of Oregon will hold an open forum relating to the location of the state mental hospital. The forum will take place from 5-8pm at the Salem Conference Center for interested citizens.

January 28th, 2008
Council challenges state hospital location, moves forward with LAX proposal

City Council spent over 3 hours in Council Chambers at City Hall on Monday night, one hour of which was spent on details and concern relating to plans for a new state mental hospital. Mayor Taylor urged state officials during a work session to reconsider actions taken last legislative session to build a new state hospital at the building's current location in the heart of Salem off Center Street.

Facts recently shared publicly prove that Salem continues to be home to patients from around the state at the time of release.

"We're very willing to do our fair share and a little more," said Mayor Janet Taylor.

Taylor thanked the state for their partnership and took some time to make sure Salem citizens knew the statistics relating to crime, admissions, releases, etc.

The Facts:

• Over 3 quarters of the patients located at the state mental hospital are there due to criminal action.

• 9% of those admissions come from Salem and Marion County while 30% of the discharges come into Salem and Marion County.

• In the last 3 years, the Salem Police Department has responded to roughly 2,200 calls related to someone experiencing a mental health issue. These calls do not include street calls which could double that number.

• During the same 3 year period, there were over 300 protective custody holds placed on individuals who were experiencing mental health issues.

• 30% of the property within the Salem city limits does not pay property taxes to support city services such as police and fire. These properties, which include the State Hospital, include local, county, and state government buildings.

• 67% of the occupants currently residing in group homes in Marion County are not from Marion County originally.

Mayor Taylor expressed great concern over these statistics and asked that plans for the new mental hospital in Salem be re-evaluated. Instead of looking at a 600 plus bed hospital in Salem, maybe the State could look at locating one 300 bed hospital in the Salem area and another 300 bed hospital in another location.

Taylor challenged arguments that the process to rebuild the state mental hospital was too far along to consider change.

"I've done a lot of property development," she said. "Until you have a design, until you have selected where on the site you want to build, and until you have provided an architect with construction plans, it is not too late to change where you're going to build a hospital or how big it's going to be."

Council urged state officials to have a serious discussion amongst staff at the Department of Administration Services, the Governor's Office, Department of Human Services staff, and appropriate legislators.

"You're taking far more than your share back into the community," said Bruce Goldberg, Director of the State Department of Human Services in referring to the number of patients that have been released and are currently residing in Marion County group homes.

Goldberg stated that Senator Jackie Winters may be willing to push for a legislative fix if necessary.

In other news, City Council voted unanimously to move forward with a proposal to Delta Air Lines for expanded commercial air service between Salem and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

Councilors Clem and DeHart did recluse themselves from the discussion due to occupational conflicts of interest. The decision will lead to a formal submittal to Delta Air Lines which will include a number of incentives in an effort to capture the new service. Those incentives include an Airline Travel Bank with a goal of raising $150,000 in prepaid ticket purchases to support the airline. The Salem Chamber has been successful in raising $158,500 in pledges from 30 participating parties to support this component of the package.

In addition, a revenue assistance program of $175,000 will be funded with the assistance of Marion County lottery funds, the State of Oregon Economic Development Department, and the Strategic Economic Development Corporation or SEDCOR.

Also, $100,000 in marketing money will be included in the proposal to help market the LAX service if Salem is successful.

Scott Hossner, President of Allied Video Productions, testified in support of the City's efforts.

"I'm excited about what's happening in Salem," said Hossner. "It's truly a great time to be a resident of Salem."

Hossner's small business is one of the many local firms that have benefited from Salem's current air service and are stepping up to support the possibility of LAX service through the Airline Travel Bank.

"Business has come into our community thanks to this service and adding a flight to LA can only help," he said.

January 22nd, 2008
City Council Report - Focus was on addressing airport noise complaints

City Council met on Tuesday, January 22nd for a special meeting to address concerns relating to noise originating from the Salem Airport. Airport Administrator Alan Alexander presented information to the Council regarding complaints that have been filed, the majority of which concern helicopter noise.

"McNary is at times a very busy airport," said Alexander. A small group of Salem residents were on hand to give their feedback to City Council relating to their noise concerns. Comments focused on issues with noise from private helicopters flying over residential areas.

The purpose of Tuesday night's report was to provide information relating to noise as consideration is given by Council to pursuing Salem to LAX service.

"We've received one complaint regarding the SkyWest plane coming and going," said Alexander.

To view the presentation on noise complaints, visit:
http://www.cityofsalem.net/ and click on link in the "What's New" section.

In other news, City Council approved a collective bargaining agreement between the City and the Salem Professional Fire Fighters for a period of three years. The contract is valid from July 1st of 2007 through June 30th of 2010.

January 17th, 2008
"Keep Salem Moving" Campaign schedules public forum

Salem Mayor Janet Taylor, City Councilor Brad Nanke, and CEO of the Salem Chamber Mike McLaran will be sharing presentations as a part of a public forum at the Salem Conference Center on Wednesday, January 30th from 5 to 7pm.

The forum will focus on finding solutions for congestion as well as deteriorating streets and bridges throughout Salem. Community members in attendance at the forum will be using state of the art electronic polling to share their priorities for reconstruction projects safety improvements citywide.

Downloads:

• Transportation Map and List of Projects (1.45MB)

• Cost Table

• Detailed Project List

Timeline of Events & Meetings:

For More Information:
To find out more visit the Keep Salem Moving! website at:
www.cityofsalem.net/keepsalemmoving.html

 or contact Mike Gotterba at 503-588-6211  or mgotterba@cityofsalem.net.

January 14th, 2008
Council meeting short and to the point

City Council wrapped up in less than one hour Monday night moving quickly though items on the agenda. One public hearing was held regarding the demolition of a structure located at 4192 Sylvia St. SE. The remnants of the house which was damaged seriously by a fire will be taken down this week with the help of a private contractor. The city will bring the costs of that demolition back to City Council for the purpose of placing a lien on the property.

January 7th, 2008
City Council Report

Council met for nearly four hours on January 7^th, moving through two public hearings and an hour long work session on transportation system development charges.

Mark Becktel with the City of Salem Public Works Department provided an update on proposed changes to the methodology used. Becktel expressed that review of the system takes place every 5 years. A public hearing regarding the proposed changes has been scheduled for February 25^th and Council deliberations will take place in March of 2008. If approved through the process, changes could take effect as early as July 1^st, 2008 coinciding with the beginning of the City’s fiscal year.

For a copy of Mark Becktel’s presentation and for more details, email mbecktel@cityofsalem.net

In other news, Council moved forward in making revisions to the City’s Solid Waste Ordinance. City Attorney Randall Tosh has been working to clarify language in the ordinance. The motion was made to close the public hearing and move the revisions to second reading as a part of next week’s Council meeting. 

City Council continues to show its support for an economic improvement district for downtown Salem. The second public hearing of the night focused on the need for a funding mechanism to support the promotion of downtown through Go Downtown Salem. The group is made up of  business leaders located in the core area and places emphasis on promoting and advocating for a healthy downtown. Funding for the group would mainly be provided through a self imposed property tax assessment. If property owners representing two-thirds of the square footage downtown agree to the assessment, the economic improvement district will move forward.

Interested businesses and citizens will have the opportunity to participate in a second public hearing on the issue which will be scheduled in the near future.

Contact the Salem Chamber:

For additional information on the Chamber's business advocacy efforts, please contact Jason Brandt at 503-581-1466, ext. 304.