A potential urban renewal development in north downtown and the future of Salem's ambulance service are on the agenda for Monday's meeting of the Urban Renewal Authority and Salem City Council.
participate
The City Council will meet in person on Monday, March 25th at 6 p.m. in the City Council Main Chamber, 555 Liberty St. SE, Room 220, and the meeting will also be available to view online. The meeting begins with the Urban Renewal Authority Board, which is made up of the entire city council.
The meeting will be livestreamed on Capital Community Media's YouTube channel, with translations available into Spanish and American Sign Language. Anyone can attend the meeting to observe and comment.
The public comment portion of the meeting will take place after opening exercises such as roll call and the Pledge of Allegiance. Residents are encouraged to comment on any topic, whether it is on the agenda or not. If public comments are not related to an agenda item, they may be saved until the end of the meeting.
To comment remotely, register on the city's website between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday.
For written comments, please email us [email protected] by 5 p.m. Monday or on paper at the City Recorder's Office, Civic Center, 555 Liberty St. SE, Room 225. Please include a statement indicating that your comment is public record.
New urban renewal area
The Urban Renewal Authority Board, which is made up of the City Council, will consider whether to begin the process of creating a new urban renewal area in the Salem north downtown area.
When an urban renewal district is created, it freezes the assessed value of real estate within its boundaries, which in turn freezes the amount of taxes that cities, counties, and other local governments can collect. f As property values increase over time, additional taxes collected above that freezing point are earmarked for urban renewal districts for planned redevelopment projects. These taxes typically go into the city's general fund and pay for general city services such as police and fire departments.
Once the redevelopment project is complete, the urban renewal area will be closed and the taxes will be returned to other jurisdictions, according to the city's page on the issue. Salem currently has seven urban renewal areas.
The proposed new North Waterfront Urban Renewal Area would be located between the Riverfront Downtown Urban Renewal Area and the North Gateway Urban Renewal Area, which covers much of south of downtown. It starts at the Oregon State Fairgrounds. Click here for the map.
According to a staff report from Community Planning and Development Director Kristin Retherford, the proposed area is experiencing changing economic conditions, including increased opportunities for redevelopment, active use and increased availability of vacant land. , would be eligible.
“As downtown Salem builds out, there is increasing interest in development and redevelopment opportunities within the north waterfront/north downtown area,” she said.
If approved by the board, city staff will prepare a draft plan, financial report and maps of the proposed boundaries.
About 11% of the city's total area is part of the urban renewal area, Retherford said. The McGilchrist District is expected to be completed in 2024 and the North Gateway is expected to be completed in 2026.
Read it: Urban Renaissance Agency agenda
Read it: City council agenda
City takeover of ambulance service
City Council members will consider Fire Chief Mike Niblock's recommendation that the Fire Department take over Salem's ambulance service, replacing Falk Ambulance. He suggested the city return the service to the fire department when Falk's contract expires in July 2025.
City Council members considered the issue at their March 11 meeting, but decided to postpone the vote.
Niblock said Falk has not provided the required 1,030 hours of ambulance service per week for the past year. To make up for the shortfall, the fire department had to have staff agency medical units work overtime at public expense.
Falk Regional Director David Patterson said in an email to Salem that the City of Falk “has an opportunity for community and stakeholder input so that the financial analysis and risks to the city can be properly calculated.” He asked that the decision be suspended until “. Reporter.
In a March 20 letter to the City Council, Patterson said the unmet service hours claim does not include time to provide life support. He also questioned the consultant's revenue calculations.
He also said that if the city decided to end Falk's services 15 months before his contract expires, it would have a “devastating impact” on his ability to recruit and retain staff.
Councilors will also consider whether to apply for $1.2 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency grants to purchase three ambulances to support the new model.
The city currently has three ambulances and ordered two more using bond voter funding approved in fall 2022. If the new model is approved, a total of eight ambulances will be needed, according to Niblock's report.
“The adoption of a city-led (advanced life support) transportation model expands the ambulance fleet and represents a comprehensive approach to improving the quality, reliability, and timeliness of emergency medical services provided to Salem residents. represents,” Niblock wrote.
Capital improvements, updated street lighting policy
Councilors will consider whether to update several city policies related to transportation, street lighting, capital improvements and public works funding. The update, recommended by the Finance Committee, would establish clear rules to promote financial stability and correct spelling and grammar, according to a staff report.
The Capital Improvement Program was last updated in 2008. Proposed changes include doubling the threshold for capital improvement projects to $100,000. This means the cheaper project does not have to be included in his five-year Capital Improvement Program plan for the city.
The changes also clarify allowable uses for street light funds, which are used to pay for street light and utility pole replacement costs, and require fees to be adjusted annually based on construction costs.
Airport perimeter security
At the request of the Transportation Security Administration, City Council members will consider whether to install a virtual fence-like perimeter detection system between the airport's operating area and the adjacent Garmin Aviation Technologies campus.
“This will free Garmin and the airport from the cost and management of hundreds of airport ID badges and strengthen border security on the east and southeast sides of the airport,” Public Works Director Brian Martin said in a staff report. I mentioned it in the.
If approved, it would cost the city an estimated $100,000. The money will come from the airport's “unexpected projects” budget this year, totaling $125,000. Martin said it would cost $400,000 to build a physical fence.
sleepy hollow water station
City Council members will take a final vote on an ordinance that would charge property owners for the cost of converting private water systems serving the Sleepy Hollow community. Councilors unanimously moved it to a final vote at their March 11 meeting.
The water system served 44 households and a community center and was sourced from community wells. The community voted to connect the water supply to the city in 2019 following elevated arsenic levels detected in 2012.
Construction will be completed in December 2023 at a cost of $5,000 per property, with the total project cost estimated at $768,100. The city will pay about $129,000, the state will contribute $414,000 and the rest will be billed to property owners, according to a staff report from Public Works Director Brian Martin. Property owners pay in lump sums, payment plans, or by placing a lien on the property.
Other items
-Whether the council approves an initial property tax exemption for Micronesian Islander Community, a nonprofit property owner planning to build 41 low-income housing units on Northeast Commercial Street. Consider. The pre-development exemption lasts for 10 years and can be renewed up to 10 times.
-City Council to extend the city's lease with Church at the Park at 2640 Portland Road NE, which will be used as a secure parking lot and community support office, from May to December. We plan to consider this.
-The City Council will consider a two-year, seven-month lease with North Valley Hay and Farms, which farms the property at 2301 Orchard Heights Road NW under a permit. Retherford said the site is planned as a future Grice Hill Park, but the city is saving money by not having to maintain it until then.
-City Council members will begin meeting in January and in July to update the Revenue Task Force, which will present options for new ways to put money into the general fund for city functions such as police, fire and libraries. You will hear information. So far, there have been two community focus groups on the topic, and he has three town halls and a poll planned in April to gather public input on the topic.
-The City Council will hear progress reports on projects funded by the safety and livability bond measure approved by voters in 2022. Realignment work has begun on the intersection of Southeast 22nd Street and McGilchrist Street, and paving work has begun on Southeast Commercial Street. Design has begun on the Mill and Pringle Creek Bridge project and several road rehabilitation projects.
Contact reporter Abby McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251
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Abby McDonald joined Salem Reporter in 2022. She previously worked as a business reporter for The Astorian, covering labor issues, health care and social services. A graduate of the University of Oregon, she has also reported for Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review, and Willamette Week.
