- Join us for the Winter Traditions Celebration and Holiday Parade, hosted by the Salem Mainstreet Association, on November 29th.
- The event includes a parade and visit from Santa Claus through downtown Salem starting at 6:30 p.m.
- Learn more about the event, where to park, or street closures by going to Salem Main Street Association
Salem, Ore. — The Downtown Salem Winter Holiday Traditions Celebration and Holiday Parade, brought to you by Salem Main Street Association, will take place on Friday, November 29, 2024, starting at 6:00 p.m. In preparation for the event, several road closures are expected throughout parts of downtown Salem to accommodate the parade route and ensure the safety of participants and spectators.
The parade route will begin on Court Street NE, east of the Oregon State Capitol, and wind through downtown, on High Street (between State Street and Court Street), State Street (between High Street and Liberty), and will end at Liberty and Court Street. A detailed map of the route is available online.
Free parking is available in the Chemeketa, Liberty, and Marion Parkades.
Parade Details:
Route: The Parade will begin on Court Street east of the Oregon State Capitol, continuing west to High Street, heading south on High Street to State Street, west on State to Liberty, and north on Liberty Street ending at Court Street NE.
Date and Time: Friday, November 29, 2024, event starts at 600 p.m., parade starts at 6:30 p.m.
Affected Areas: Several blocks of Downtown Salem including Court Street NE, High Street, State Street, and Liberty Street will be impacted by the event.
Caution: To accommodate the parade, road closures will begin at 4:00 p.m. and are expected to remain in place until the event has ended. Please plan for increased traffic and consider alternate routes during the evening hours.
In addition to the parade, the Salem Main Street Association invites you to enjoy the Winter Holiday Traditions celebration! Shoppers and families can experience festive activities throughout downtown, featuring live carolers, holiday-themed window displays, Santa’s grand arrival on an antique fire truck, a dazzling tree lighting ceremony, and more.
Additional information about the Winter Traditions Celebration is available online.
Mark your calendars for Friday, November 29, and enjoy the magic of the holiday season in downtown Salem.
Salem, Ore. —The City of Salem is excited to announce Z.E.U.S. as the name for our all-electric compact street sweeper! Z.E.U.S stands for Zero Emission Utility Sweeper, reflecting its commitment to sustainability and eco-friendly street maintenance. The name was suggested by 8th grade student Zaidee Salazar and received the majority of the more than 1,300 responses.
The contest received more than 650 name suggestions, with the finalists picked based on their originality and creativity. Over the next few weeks, the new street sweeper will be outfitted with custom logos and graphics and begin its work clearing narrow paths, sidewalks, alleyways, and other tight spaces of leaves and debris this December.
More about the Sweeper
The eSwingo 200+ EV Sweeper is a fully electric, compact sweeper that’s built to tackle narrow spaces like park trails, bike paths, and alleys. This 100% electric sweeper produces zero carbon emissions, can operate for up to 10 hours before needing a recharge, and runs quietly with a sustainable design.
Thanks to a $337,443 grant through the DEQ’s Oregon Clean Fuels Program and PGE’s Drive Change Fund, the City of Salem was able to purchase this cutting-edge sweeper. The Drive Change Fund, established in 2019, has awarded millions of dollars for new electric vehicles and chargers across Oregon, supporting cleaner air and lower emissions in our communities. This new electric sweeper is a significant addition to the City’s Climate Action Plan, specifically supporting Strategy TL-30 to transition all city vehicles to electric.
The City of Salem is committed to creating a greener future and reducing our carbon footprint. We extend our thanks to the DEQ’s Oregon Clean Fuels Program and PGE for helping make this progress possible.
To see a map of your neighborhoods street sweeping schedule, go to the Find your streetsweeper schedule webpage.
Salem, Ore. —The City of Salem is excited to announce the top five name finalists for our new, all-electric compact street sweeper! As we prepare to roll this environmentally friendly vehicle onto Salem’s paths, streets, and alleys, we’re inviting the community to help us choose its name.
Here are the finalists:
- Z.E.U.S. (Zero Emissions Utility Sweeper)
- Chew-Vac-Uh
- Sweepy Wonder
- Whiskers
- Sweep Force One
The contest will be open until Friday, November 15, 2025. Results will be announced on Monday, November 18, 2024. Be sure to vote for your favorite name by completing the survey.
The eSwingo 200+ EV Sweeper is a fully electric, compact sweeper that’s built to tackle narrow spaces like park trails, bike paths, and alleys. This 100% electric sweeper produces zero carbon emissions, can operate for up to 10 hours before needing a recharge, and runs quietly with a sustainable design.
Thanks to a $337,443 grant through the DEQ’s Oregon Clean Fuels Program and PGE’s Drive Change Fund, the City of Salem was able to purchase this cutting-edge sweeper. The Drive Change Fund, established in 2019, has awarded millions of dollars for new electric vehicles and chargers across Oregon, supporting cleaner air and lower emissions in our communities. This new electric sweeper is a significant addition to the City’s Climate Action Plan, specifically supporting Strategy TL-30 to transition all city vehicles to electric.
The City of Salem is committed to creating a greener future and reducing our carbon footprint. We extend our thanks to the DEQ’s Oregon Clean Fuels Program and PGE for helping make this progress possible.
To cast your vote for your favorite name, visit the Streetsweeper name survey.
Salem, Ore. — The City of Salem is warning drivers who use 16th Street SE that the road will be closed starting November 12, 2024, between Oxford Street SE and McGilchrist Street SE in both directions. Local access will be available to all residences and businesses in the area. Signs pointing to traffic detours will be in place, drivers are advised to watch for traffic signs and follow all instructions from crews working in the area.
Location: 16th Street SE closed to traffic between Oxford Street SE and McGilchrist Street
Date and Time: Tuesday, November 12, 2024, work is expected to take 2-3 weeks to complete.
Affected Areas: The 16th Street SE closure will include travel lanes, sidewalks, and parking spaces in the construction zone.
Caution: Drivers are urged to be cautious while traveling, follow all signage, and watch for workers in the area.
Please continue to monitor the Current Road Conditions Map on the City of Salem website to receive up-to-date information on scheduled or emergency road closures in Salem. For additional information, please contact the City of Salem at 503-588-6211 or service@cityofsalem.net.
Salem, Ore. — On Wednesday evening, October 30, 2024, the City of Salem presented a preliminary five-year financial forecast for the general fund to the City’s Budget Committee.
The forecast is a planning tool to help the City Council and Budget Committee understand future financial trends to inform decision-making about service delivery to the community. The forecast models expected revenues and expenditures for a five-year period for current City services provided by employees to improve our residents’ quality of life.
Key Findings:
Results of the forecast show an estimated $17.7 million budget shortfall expected for the upcoming Fiscal Year 2026 budget that increases in each of the next four years. This increase is largely due to inflationary pressures reflecting cost increases across our economy, including employee salaries, retirement, benefits, and other ongoing expenses.
“The forecast shows a difficult financial path ahead for Salem’s General Fund. We have a lot of work to do to build understanding and regain the trust of our community,” says Keith Stahley, Salem City Manager, “While we work to set the priorities of the budget, all city employees must continue to be ’at your service‘ to the residents of Salem.”
Next Steps:
- By January 2025, the City’s Finance Department will work with an outside firm to validate the assumptions and methods used to estimate the $17.7 million shortfall. On January 15, the Budget Committee will consider the results of this work next year.
- In November, while this effort is ongoing, the City’s Budget Committee will begin to focus on budget priorities and principles moving forward. The Budget Committee is made up of the Mayor, City Councilors, and 9 community members.
- By April 2025, the City Manager will develop a budget with the Budget Committee’s principles and priorities in mind. The FY 2026 Budget will be presented to the Committee for their review and input at meetings in April and May.
- The Budget Committee will continue to refine the budget and recommend a budget to the Council for their consideration and adoption in late June.
- City Council may choose to place a levy on the ballot to ask our community to help support service delivery.
All City of Salem Budget Committee Meetings are public and take place at the City’s Council Chambers, 555 Liberty Street SE, Salem, OR 97301. See our website for scheduled meeting dates.
You can also watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@CCMediaSalem
Why do we forecast?
A forecast is an educated, good faith estimate of what our financial conditions may be in the future. It captures a point in time and is a useful tool for revenue and expenditure planning.
Looking ahead five years and estimating our revenues and expenses is an important financial best practice for our credit rating. The City’s credit rating helps keep borrowing costs low when voters approve bonds for larger expenses like the 2022 Community Safety and Livability Bond.
About the General Fund:
The General Fund is the principal operating fund of the City. Approximately 80% of the General Fund's expenses are for employees who provide services to the community.
Services in the City’s General Fund include:
- Police (emergency police response, criminal investigations, graffiti removal, traffic safety and enforcement)
- Fire (fire protection and medical response)
- Community Services (library, Center 50+, parks and recreation, neighborhood association support, health and safety in public spaces)
- Community Planning and Development (City code and parking enforcement, land use and planning review, downtown and economic support)
- Finance (accounting, billing, budgeting and financial reporting, and Municipal Court)
- City Manager’s Office (develop and execute City goals, communications, City Council support)
- Legal (general counsel, litigation, prosecution)
- Enterprise Services (information technology support, talent acquisition, people management, payroll, building maintenance and services)
How did we get here?
Since Oregon instituted Measures 5 and 50 to set a permanent tax rate and limit the annual growth of property taxes, revenue in the City’s General Fund has increased at a slower pace than expenses. The City has not been able to increase revenue sufficiently to support the current level of services provided to the residents of Salem.
What is the City doing?
During FY 2024, the City Council reduced 6.35 positions and operating hours at the Library as well as 4 positions in the Police Department.
Last year, the Salem City Council approved service reductions in the FY 2025 General Fund budget totaling more than $3.8 million and included:
- $278,000 Parks Operations
- $400,000 Grants for Social Services
- $625,000 Grant to Salem Housing Authority (SHA)
- $257,000 Center 50+ and Recreation Services
- $850,000 Deferred equipment replacement
- $430,000 Reduction in Materials and Services
- $112,790 Department Directors - No Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA)
- $410,000 Unsheltered Support Funding (alternative funding source)
- $224,000 Youth Development Program (transitioned to Substance Use Prevention program with alternative funding)
The City of Salem is continuing to be proactive in finding a solution to this issue by:
- Engaging in auditing and oversight to ensure cost savings and accountability.
- Looking for further budget cuts to programs, operations, or positions when possible.
- Examining potential increases in user fees for select programs to fund operations.
- Listening to the community for their insight and feedback.
Over the next several months, Salem will continue to share information on the budget process and provide full transparency about the preferences and priorities established by the City Council and Budget Committee on behalf of the City. If changes to Salem’s budget are not made, the forecast shows that a budget cannot be adopted for FY 2027 and the funding gap will increase to $29 million by 2030.
The community is invited to learn more about this issue by visiting The City of Salem’s Website (www.cityofsalem.net/servingsalem) and taking an online survey to help us better understand how to share information with our residents about our shared budget priorities.
Yaquina Hall, a historic building, has been repurposed into a residential hall comprising 51 one-bedroom units and one studio unit (52 total units) to provide on-site supportive services that will address the unique needs of the community members experiencing homelessness and those with disabilities in developing permanent housing. It is situated on the grounds of the former nurses' dormitory at the Oregon State Hospital Campus.
In June 2023, in Salem, Oregon, Yaquina Hall received the Ben Maxwell Award for Historic Preservation Month for excellence in historic preservation for residential use. Yaquina Hall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
On October 10th-11th, at the National 2024 Historic Tax Credit Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, an award was presented to the City of Salem's Community Planning and Development Director, Kristin Retherford, and Salem Housing Authority's Nicole Utz and Jessica Blakely.
The award was given for the adaptive reuse of Yaquina Hall, showcasing major community impact through the utilization of historic tax credits in residential development.
Salem Housing Authority was the first Housing Authority to receive such an award.
We couldn’t have done it without the help of our partners in the project.
In addition to Salem Housing Authority and the City of Salem, other partners in the project include:
- US Bank Bancorp
- Oregon Housing and Community Services
- Oregon Health Authority
- NOAH (Network for Oregon Affordable Housing)
- Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- AC & Co. Architecture
- Walsh Construction
- 30 organizations will join Center 50+ to share their volunteer opportunities
- Community service and involvement is a key part of the Center 50+ mission
Salem, Ore. – Come trick-or-treat and enjoy the sweet feeling of finding a place where you can make a difference in your community. Center 50+ is hosting a Harvest Party Volunteer Fair on Wednesday, October 30, from 2 to 4 p.m.
“Senior Volunteers are an asset to every organization in this community,” said Marilyn Daily, director of Center 50+. “We are excited to connect new volunteers to projects that make Salem a great place to live.”
Thirty organizations will join Center 50+ for this annual event, including Salem Health Services, Marion and Polk Early Learning Hub, World Beat, Oregon State Hospital and Salvation Army Kroc Center.
Center 50+ has more that 450 volunteers working in every part of its operations.
“We may not have the perfect match for every person,” Daily said. “Our mission is to connect people to volunteer service that matches their passion and talents and gives them great purpose.”
All ages are welcome at 2615 Portland Road NE in Salem.
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