The City of Salem Board of Aldermen held a special session Jan. 18, for the second readings of two proposed ballot measures for the April election. The city is proposing a 1% general revenue sales tax increase, as well as a bond issue to fund EPA-mandated sewer improvements.
The floor was opened for public comment at 5:30 p.m. by Mayor Greg Parker. Attendance of the meeting was slightly better than the previous hearing, however no Salem resident spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting. Those that did take the floor were locals but live outside the city limits. Since county residents will also be paying the potential sales tax increase when they shop in Salem, their opinions were heard.
After two public comments, the meeting moved on to the reading of the bills.
Both the 1% tax increase and the sewer bond were passed by a unanimous vote. Both will appear on the ballot in April.
After the vote, city officials addressed the public. Alderman Shawn Bolerjack thanked those who attended.
“The reason why the city is proposing this additional 1%, is to help with our general fund budget and not rely on a huge transfer from the electric fund over to the general fund,” said Bolerjack. “If the sales tax is not successful on the April ballot, then we’re looking at $500,000 to cut. We’re already spread thin on our budget right now, we’ve cut several items during our last budget process, and we’ve already eliminated some services this year. What the City of Salem is, it’s a large service organization that provides roads and electric, water, sewer, public safety, parks and rec. The value of that is dependent on what people are willing to pay for. That’s pretty much what this question really is, what are the citizens willing to pay for?”
Bolerjack said that during the time between now and the April election, he will be working with city administrator Sally Burbridge on bolstering the city’s outreach to the public. Alderwoman Kala Sisco said that it is important for the public to become educated on the issues facing the city.
“Educate yourself. Before you vote no on something you’re not educating yourself about, reach out to aldermen, reach out to Sally at the administrator office. Just educate yourself and know where we are in the budget with numbers.”
Finally, Mayor Parker spoke.
“Our economy is struggling. Some people always point the finger about what’s happened in the past. Me or our current board right now did not do that. We’re not living in the past; we’re living in the future.”
Parker said the city has cut so much that only essential services remain.
“We have very little services now, and I would prefer to keep them. Our first line of defense, part of our budget, 42% of it goes to law enforcement. They are our first line of defense. The people that come out when there’s a power outage, or a water break. We’ve never been able to give them a cost-of-living increase. Those are the people that I’m trying to keep. The people that fix our communities. In the past, infrastructure was not part of the plan. That is something we’re trying to focus on. Our infrastructure, like repaving our roads, fixing our water lines, this is where this comes from. We are not able to do that unless our community comes together, and we work as a team.”
Parker concluded by appealing for unity.
“There’s always been a history of conflict between citizens against city. That’s not what I’m here for. I’m here to try and unify our community together with the city. Work with us. Help us fix our town.
“I would ask everyone in our community to please think and consider your thoughts before you vote no on this sales tax. Because this is not living in the past, this is living in now. This is to provide a future for our community that we live in. I love our town, I love our community, and I’d like to see it grow instead of dying. So, I would ask the community, to please, sit and reconsider your thoughts when it comes to this vote.”
