City Council - Regular Meeting

Familiar pursuer consider participantes. Hes I'm calling to order the Salem Housing Authority of the City of Salem for Monday, March 23rd, 2026. Will the recorder please call the role? Commissioner Tyen present. Commissioner Matthews absent. Vice Chair Gwyn here. Commissioner Brown present. Commissioner Bang

here. Commissioner Nordike here. Commissioner Barney here. Chair Nishioa here. Thank you. Um I've asked uh Commissioner Bang to lead us in the pledge of allegiance. Will everyone please rise? of the United States of America and to the stand.

Thank you everyone. Um there are no additions or deletions uh for this evening and we are uh we are now at public comment. We're checking here just a moment and we don't have any one signed up for the housing authority for public comment. So we are now to the consent calendar. I move approval of the consent calendar. Second. Uh um motion by uh vice chair uh Gwyn and seconded by uh Commissioner Vang. to your motion.

The consent calendar this evening consists of item 3.1A, which is our February 23rd draft Salem Housing Housing Authority minutes. And that concludes the consent agenda. Thank you. Anyone have any questions? Will the recorder please call the role? Commissioner Brown, I. Commissioner Bang, I. Commissioner Nordike I. Commissioner Barney I. Commissioner Tyen I. Commissioner Matthews absent. Vice Chair Gwyn I. And Chair Nishioa

I. Thank you. Motion passes. We don't have any action items or resolutions but we are now to our public hearing um 4A. So I there we go. Jessica Blakeley is with us. Thank you.

Thank you. The Salem Housing Authority Commission will now conduct a public hearing to receive testimony regarding a request for exemption from competitive bidding process and authorization of an alternative contracting method of construction manager general contractor for the Glen Creek redevelopment project. The hearing will begin with staff presentation first followed by testimony from interested persons. Testimony is limited to three minutes per person. Thank you.

Good evening. My name is Jessica Blakeley and I'm the deputy director for the Salem Housing Authority. Here today to talk to you about the request for the low bet exemption for Glen Creek redevelopment. We're very excited. Uh this means we're actually moving forward in the process of the redevelopment of Glen Creek and we're now at the process of selecting a GC. Uh tonight we're here uh to ask this the commission approval of an exemption from the competitive low bid process to utilize the construction manager general contractor method. Uh the purpose is to select the contractor based on qualifications uh engage the contractor during preconstruction and to maintain one contractor from design through completion. Um, as many of you know, Glen Creek was removed from our repositioning um, process in 2019 due to its location within a floodway. This project is one of our public housing authority or public housing buildings and it's 30 units built in 1971. It has significant capital needs. Um, current funding doesn't allow capital funding in this particular building because of its proximity in a floodway. We have been working since 2019 uh to um basically create or go through land use actions um to complete two separate parcels so that the project is no longer located within the existing floodway. Um the CMGC process allows us to onboard a contractor uh during the design period uh through pre-development and then also um they provide us with uh cost estimates which will inform the project from pre-development all the way to the start of construction. and it really is a necessary step to move this particular project forward. Um the public interest for this and project complexity affordable housing development is an extremely complex process. Um when we when we work through the process, we work through design all the way through pre-development, then under construction um and to construction completion. Um one of the

things that the CMGC process allows us to do is to onboard one contractor that we can take from start to finish. and it actually uh lowers the cost overall. But some of the other um things that are important to note is that um these projects have multiple funding sources. So a lot of times we piece together federal, state and local funding sources. Um there are strict regulation uh regulatory compliance requirements. Um there's fixed funding caps and it also takes intense coordination with architects, engineers and service providers. So having this CMGC from the design period all the way through the end of construction is really important so that we can uh keep the project moving forward at all times and don't have to catch another contractor up to speed in the middle of the process. Some limitations if we were to use the low bid method um if we were when we select them on the lowest price it doesn't always mean it's someone that has the most experience. And when we think about affordable housing development, experience really matters. Um, also we need the contractor to inform the design phase of each construction project. Um, it's very beneficial for us to determine what things we want to add or subtract from the process or the project based on, you know, some of the bids that we receive in that time frame. Um, some of the low bid methods would increase the likelihood of change orders, which is really detrimental to an affordable housing um, development project. oftentimes we get one sum of money and we don't have any additional funds unless the housing authority wants to fund any change orders as we go along the way. So this kind of keeps it at that um at that one highest price uh or the one price cap I should say. Um there's also greater potential for claims and schedule delays if we use the low bid method. Um again on honestly because it's the the having to reinform the contractor uh the second contractor if they come in in the middle of the project. Um there's also reduced

flexibility and we know since the pandemic u construction markets have changed substantially. They go up, they go down. Um and there's a lot of things that that uh will impact the pricing during the middle of a project. And so this gives us more confidence in those prices that we get um in the beginning. And then along the way if any changes are are needed um we've built in those contingencies because they're anticipating certain things um when we get started. Um low bid also prioritizes initial price but not long-term project success or specialized experience. Um and what that means really is that if we just go with the low bidder, they may not know all of the things that are incorporated into an affordable housing development um design through construction and what things may happen along the way. Uh so having that person onboarded at the beginning is very important for us. So the benefits um we get to choose the contractor based on qualifications and not by price. So um when we're uh putting out the requests for proposals and then we bring them back and we score them, we're really looking at contractors that have had experience uh using Oregon Housing and Community Services funding. Um oftentimes we have to pair that with federal funding. Um, so we want to see a contractor that's had experience working with those types of requirements because they're very different. Um, when we use federal funding on top of just state funding, it also gives us early collaboration during design. They come in right away. So in the case of Glen Creek, we've selected an architect and now it's time to bring in the general contractor and what they will do is inform the design. So, they're going to help the architect and us decide how many units we can actually afford to put on this land, any considerations with how high we need the buildings to go. Um, we were able to have a pre-application meeting with the city, so we now kind of know some of the things we need to look out for, and they can give us those estimates for those different situations to make sure that we have an all-in bid price when we go in for our funding award. Um, we get the

detail cost estimating and constructibility review. The guaranteed maximum price is the biggest thing for us is where we know what the highest potential price will be for this development prior to the start of construction. And this actually limits the amount of risk for Salem Housing Authority because if that price goes up, we have to pay the difference. Um, and then continuous alignment with funding limits and the single point of accountability from start to finish. And for all of the projects that we've been working on since I've been with the housing authority, it's been so impactful to have that GC on board at the beginning. They're there with us all along the way. So in the case of YUquin Hall for which the development took eight years, we had that same person the entire time. So they were there to go through the issues with us um and they could support those changes as they happened um in the moment actually. So we find that this is the best value and the risk mitigation. It will protect our public funds through proactive cost control. It'll risk the costly change of change orders, any type of delay. It'll be consistent through the entire process and it actually um will save us uh money in the long run from the low bid method. Now the great information. So what happens if uh this is approved and moves forward tonight? Um, we are looking forward to selecting our uh CM or putting out the CMGC RFP in the spring of 2026. Um, we're looking at disposing of the floodway parcel for which uh this um this general contractor will assist uh us in providing the most the most comprehensive application we can to HUD when we do select uh or send that in for disposition. And also uh we will be applying for our federal funding through the rental assistance demonstration and section 18 um in the winter of 2026. Our hope is to apply for the state funding in spring of 2027 and get that

construction started by early 2028. Um so right now the project is in dire need of capital needs. This helps us move that forward tonight. And I thank you and I'm available for any questions. I was trying to determine if I needed to close the public hearing or move forward. So, um I see a hand up. Council uh Commissioner um Nordike,

thank you so much and thank you for your presentation and for walking us through this and I love hearing saving money in the long run. That definitely perks my interest every time. I'm curious, what do you mean by dispose of the floodway parcel? What would that entail? Thank you for the question, Commissioner. Uh, we when we got to the place in 2019 and found out we would not be able to reposition this asset because it's location within a floodway, uh, we had to really take a good look at that. The parcel itself is 7.76 acres, but there are no buildings located in the special hazard zone. So, there's this tiny little L-shaped piece on the corner of the of the parcel itself. And if we were to not partition off the floodway parcel and then ask HUD if we can sell that parcel and move forward with the six acres remaining, um we would have to sell it outright and lose the affordable housing in West Salem, which is detrimental to us. So we thought, okay, instead let's separate it into two parcels, which took a very long time going through all the land use processes, but we're there now. And so we can actually um take that one little parcel which is 1.43 acres. We can ask HUD if we can dispose of it um which is just to sell it um which it has very little value because it is located in the floodway and it has a conservation um assessment to it um located along Glen Creek which kind of circles the parcel. This allows us to take the remaining six uh acres and it's only in a flood plane. So we'll be able to build to flood plane designation standards and we'll be able to keep the affordable housing on this parcel and actually increase the amount of units on this parcel. So we'll be going from 30 to about 60 to 90 units of affordable housing in the same place and we'll actually be able to use federal funds now whereas the AE special um special hazard area is it doesn't allow us to.

It prohibits us from using federal funds. Great. Some follow-ups if I may. Yes. Go right ahead.

Um, so I'm curious if the parcel is not going to sell for a whole lot. I can't visualize it. I don't see a photo of it here. Would it make more sense to just have it as a green space for residents? Again, without without seeing the parcel, I don't know. I'm just thinking if you're not going to make much, if any money on it, I'm just wondering if it would make more sense to just have that as a a green space for the residents and tree canopy and that sort of thing. Thank you for that and absolutely we definitely agree with that. Um the one thing that's really difficult is that for us to continue with the redevelopment we have to release the declaration of trust from HUD that's on the parcel itself. And so that is really what the disposition does is it gives us the permission to do that. Um and we can look at different things. Um SHA could potentially retain it, sell it to ourselves. Um they still require us to sell it at fair market value but I it was such a low amount. Um, we also thought that there might be some interest in the city obtaining the parcel because of Glen Creek. They they oftentimes has have to ask us for permission um to to do the maintenance on that parcel. So, there might be some opportunities there. So, I think we're open to whatever makes sense for that parcel, but just getting it away from this particular development.

Great. And then uh finally, more of a comment really. I hope that folks see especially your final slide showing that timeline. We're talking about this now and your target construction won't be until 2028. So, this is a powerful reminder of the fact that when we decide to make housing a priority in our city, it takes years to see it through fruition, not because you want to wait that long, but because that's the timing for federal funding and state funding, all these pieces that have to come together. And I want to commend Salem Housing Authority because you have already successfully done that many times over. Um, I'm thinking of all the I don't know how you do it, but you find all these different pieces of funding. You apply for them in the right sequence and the next thing you know, we have more affordable housing and we're moving folks off the streets and into places where they have safety and stability. So, kudos to you and thank you so much for your presentation.

Thank you. Thank you. Good questions. Um, uh, Commissioner Brown, Um, cost savings. I'm going to follow Commissioner Nordik's thinking. Do you know how much we could anticipate saving?

Gosh. Um, that's a really difficult question. Thank you for it, but it's a very difficult question to to to answer right at this moment. Um, so when we onboard a GC, if we were to do it the oldfashioned way of going with the low bid, we can onboard them now. They could give us a bid, for example, of what the project would cost and then we can get two years down the road and we onboard somebody else to then take the project forward. They could completely disagree with that cost and they can add in additional cost. They might have different overhead, different contingency. Um so it it could this this gives us more of a known known versus later on um our entire project could shift right in the middle. Um, and that is what could be catastrophic for us to not move forward. Um, we're always we're we're likely already applying for funding at that time uh in the middle of the project. So, it could essentially make the project not feasible um if if we were to go a different direction. So, hard to say on cost. Um, but change orders are kind of a dealiller especially when it comes to us um at the agency. we don't have a large reserves to be able to just use them for change orders in in a in a project later on down the road. So having that level of certainty um also it takes administrative time, right? So also our time to move the project forward. So um I haven't been I I wouldn't be able to quantify it today but I can tell you that uh it would be not only a cost change but it would also be an administrative burden to the project.

Got it. And may I madam chair? Yes. So, and that's one of the reasons you said we stick with the same contractor because if we flip-flop or change, then the cost goes up and then we end up losing more money. Could be. Got it. Thank you, Councelor Tyen.

Uh, thank you, Madam Chair. Great presentation. Um, and thank you for the response to um, Commissioner Brown's question. Kind of a a bit of a followup. Does the housing authority complete audits or reviews of previous times we've taken this approach? Sort of do a lessons learned sort of a look back. It sounded like we used it for Uquina Hall. That was a long project. It wasn't because of this contracting process, but um I'm just sort of curious the the desire to move forward with this kind of contracting method. And you know, you're not the only one coming to us tonight to ask for a different contracting method. Um, it's sort of based on assumptions, right? That change orders will come, things will happen. But I'm sort of wondering like what do we use to learn about our processes to check those assumptions and then help us make, you know, better contracting decisions in the future?

Sure. All great questions. Um, well, I can speak to the projects that I've run with the city with housing authority so far, and we've used this method each time. Um, and one of the things maybe I can speak to you a little bit differently is that when we use this method, oftentimes we don't have any cost in the project until we actually get to construction or the costs are very minimal. Um, often times they'll actually give us uh a waiver of fees during the pre-construction period. And so in the case like Yquina Hall, we weren't out any money. They stuck with us for eight years with very little expenses. And if we were to onboard them one at a time, likely that contractor would want to have that pre-development cost upfront and then you know the next contractor would want to have their develop or their money upfront as well. And so by doing it this way, we often see concessions like 50% concession of the pre-development fee or not paid until financial close. Those are the key elements that we're really looking for because if something happens and a project just doesn't move forward, then we're not out the money. Um, and if it were the other way, that could be a really risky for us because we don't have that kind of capital, um, if a project does not move forward.

Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Commissioner Quinn.

Hi there. Thanks for your presentation and for taking time to answer our questions. So, a couple years ago, we had some contractors came to city council with concerns about um wage theft because of laborers that were hired on jobs. So, my question is, will this be a prevailing wage job? And what is the city going to do to make sure or the housing authority to make sure that contractors and subcontractors that are working on the jobs are not subject to uh wage theft of any kind?

Great question. Yes. Uh all of our projects that use federal funding are prevailed at Davis Bacon wages. And this particular project I don't ant anticipate being um prevailed to bully wages only because residential construction affordable housing residential construction has an exemption um under under the state uh commercial wages. And so we even with Davis Bacon have to do what's called certified payroll. And so we actually have to go out and do wage interviews and ensure that people are getting paid the correct amount based on the wage determination that we received. um not only do the interviews but then also we receive weekly payrolls that we have to com compare. Um for example, I would say in our last project we must have had like three binders this thick um of all the different subcontractors, their employees and those are all scrutinized and checked. Um we also have HUD that comes in afterwards and does a full audit of our uh federal wage projects. And so we have a requirement to report on those quarterly and then at the fi finalization of the project they will come out and they will do the audit to make sure we paid everyone accordingly. Um and you know there are times when um something gets missed or maybe a a a dollar amount was incorrect um but those get fixed right away and um we try to catch those before they even happen. We also have housing development center which is our uh development consultant and they assist our pro um purchasing and contracts uh individual who's in-house with SHA. They work with him to make sure um that they're double-checking the numbers as well. So we have a lot of scrutiny on our on on our actual construction projects.

Great. Thank you very much. Um I have a couple uh questions. Um, can you share with us the estimated total project costs? Yes, it's very preliminary right now. These are like just kind of like pie in the sky amounts. Um, until we get the GC on board, we actually can't get really good estimates. So, we just kind of do it with what the market is doing right now. And I think we're at about $36 million.

36 $36 million. And I see that you'll be tripling the number of units from 30 to 100. So you'll be providing 100 units uh on this six six acres. Um then uh the other question is uh right now do you have funding strategy or are you waiting to um get more information before you get there?

Great question. I always have a funding strategy. So, um, yes, uh, we actually looking at, um, when we when we originally, when I first came to the housing authority, we were working through a program called RAD, which is rental assistance demonstration, which I will be honest has become kind of a bad word since, um, taking taking that on because we learned some of the things that were written in the program policy that actually prevented us from getting rent increases in the future, which has been really detrimental to the existing projects that went through the RAD conversion. And I think you'll have heard my federal advocacy about getting those RAD went rents and the OKAF waiver and I'm still working through that. Well, HUD has actually created some flexibility to combine that with the section 18 program um which will allow us to get higher rents first of all um and secondly a little bit more flexibility in the way the project is funded and just kind of the overall uh package of the pro project. So we anticipate that we'll be using that is called a RAD section 18 blend 9010. If that isn't uh complicated enough, um it it can make your mind um a little bit u looking through it. But that will be the primary source of how we how we work through the funding. Um because it's in public housing, we can use some of those funds that um we can target specifically for pre-development um to go into that project. And then we'll likely go in for low-income housing tax credits with the state. Um and then any gap sources that we need to to kind of fill those other pieces. Um, so I don't know exactly how the capital stack will work just yet. Um, but I suspect we'll have about four or five sources and they'll be a combination of state and federal.

Great. Thank you. Any other questions? Uh, Commissioner Brown, she can go first. Um, so just a followup. So last year you shared with us about the waiting list. And so my first question is, could you remind the public just how long that waiting list is? And then right behind that, you also shared last year that uh people get really excited when they know they're about to get off that waiting list. At what point do you share with a possible applicant that they're going to have a place to live?

Wow. Okay, that was a lot of questions in one. Let me try to give you justice to all of them. So the waiting list situation, we have several waiting listes at the housing authorities. either the project itself, the program itself, the voucher program. You know, I would say overall they're about 3 to five years and they're all closed. So, there really is no ability to get on a list right now. Sometimes they pop up and we'll we'll be able to see applicants for maybe a certain bedroom size over here or a certain bedroom size over there. Um, people get really excited when they come to the top of the waiting list. And, um, one of the things that that we we really get excited for is um, housing choice mobility, right? and and being able to open a project that's in a neighborhood that people want to live is also very important. So, I can imagine when the waiting list opens for West Salem, um that is going to be pretty impactful because we're looking at access to good schools, you know, right, you know, good transportation options. Um there's a bus stop right outside the front door of this building. So, taking that down to Wallace, across the bridge into downtown, there's just going to be a lot of opportunity for folks at this building. Um, this building currently has three, four, and five bedrooms, which have been, you know, we've overhoused people because we just don't have the need of the four and fivebedroom waiting lists any longer. So, that's going to shift a bit and we're going to have a combination of 1, two, and threebedroom units. So, I think to your point of the excitement, it's going to be a pretty big deal. Um, you know, we'll work with the neighborhood association on, you know, what design makes the best sense and and some we've already met with them once about some of the safety considerations that they want us to take into account and um really making this a neighborhood project is important for me for for SHA as a whole. Um, and so I I I would imagine I would hope that the excitement level is going to be pretty substantial when we say this waiting list is opening.

Thanks, director. Thanks, Madam Chair. Commissioner Vney, thank you. Um, actually, you kind of answered part of my question. I know we're going to be putting in a lot more sidewalks and there's a pedestrian crossing going in and I was going to ask about the bus stop because I couldn't remember where it was. So, you answered my question. Thank you. Yep. I'm closing the hearing and then uh we are now open for uh council or commissioner deliberations.

Is yeah vice chair. Do you have a motion for us here? So, I move that we adopt SHA resolution number 2322 to approve an exemption from the competitive bidding process and the use of construction manager or general contractor services for a class of public improvement contracts for the rehabilitation and construction of the Glen Creek Apartments. redevelopment project and affordable housing property.

Second. Thank you. It has been moved and seconded by um Commissioner Tyen. So, we are now ready for any further deliberation. What can we add? If I see none, then we will have the recorder call the role. Thank you. Commissioner Bang I. Commissioner Nordike I. Commissioner Barney I. Commissioner Tyen I. Commissioner Matthews absent. Vice Chair Gwyn

I. Commissioner Brown I. Chair Nishioa.

The motion passes. Thank you. So, we are now to special um we don't have special orders of business. We are to information reports and I see Miss Nicole coming forward. Good evening, chair and commissioners. I am Nicole. I am the director of housing for Salem Housing Authority. Tonight, I am pleased to provide an overview of Salem Housing Authorities's program management report for March 2026. At a high level, Salem Housing Authority continues to serve approximately 9,000 residents across Salem and Kaiser. Our work remains grounded in our mission to support low and moderate income households through stable housing, economic opportunity, and strong community partnerships. This month, one of the most important highlights is the continued strength of our housing choice voucher program. As the end of February, we have 3,90 vouchers under leased out of the total allocation of 3,300. Um, this reflects our strong utilization of available funding with over $3.1 million in housing assistance that were distributed to support families in our community. Our approach continues to focus on leasing to the maximum level uh supported by funding to ensure that our agency doesn't end up in shortfall status which is very important to HUD these days. Uh this is achieved by careful data analysis on a monthly basis of our voucher utilization something that we've brought inhouse and we do ourselves to ensure that we're in alignment operationally. We recently implemented a significant organizational improvement with the creation of our new client services division. This brings together our front desk, resident service, landlord navigation functions into one single more coordinated team. The goal is to provide more seamless and responsive experience for the people

that we serve. To give a sense of the scale, in just one month, our front desk staff assisted over 650 clients in person, processed over 500 Dropbox transactions, and handled hundreds of calls and emails. This level of activity underscores both the demand for our services and the importance of efficiency for our client client- centered operations. Uh, a key component to improving housing access is our landlord navigation. Um, this pro this position focuses on building relationships with property owners, helping clients successfully use their vouchers, and reducing barriers such as application costs and leasing challenges. Um, in terms of inspections and compliance, I wanted to note that we are continuing to process a high volume of both initial and annual inspections. While many units are passing inspections, we are still seeing a large number of delays tied to needed repairs. This remains an area of focus as timely inspections are critical to getting families housed as quickly as possible. Um, from a property management perspective, our portfolio remains strong with both owned and partnered units uh serving the community. It is important to note that some vacancies are intentional that are listed on that uh program management report tied to plan re renovations, repositioning of units or future development activity. These efforts are part of our long-term strategy to maintain and improve the quality of housing stock that we have at Salem Housing Authority. Beyond the numbers, I want to highlight the real impact of our work. This month, staff supported residents facing potential evictions by connecting them with resources on working collaboratively with landlords to stabilize their housing. We've also seen strong collaboration between departments to assist residents with language barriers, financial challenges, complex life situations. These examples

reflect our commitment to not only housing individuals, but helping them to remain stable and succeed. Our family self-sufficiency program continues to demonstrate meaningful outcomes. We currently have 144 active participants on the program and with over $38,000 in escrow funds paid out to program graduates. This program is a key tool to helping families build financial independence over time. At the same time, we want to be transparent in our challenges we are facing. This past month, we experienced staffing shortages that require team members to take on additional responsibilities. We also continue continue to manage a high volume of work including inspections, move requests, and landlord coordination, supporting the client's social safety net, which is a new word we continue to use quite often. Despite these challenges, our staff have demonstrated remarkable resilience, teamwork, and dedication. We continue to receive positive feedback from clients uh on our surveys. We do have new QR codes and survey systems up. Um, we're wanting to continually improve our communication and support throughout our housing processes. March has been an incredibly active month for our agency with focus on federal engagement, funding, advocacy, and staff engagement. Um, Jessica and I traveled to Washington DC to attend the National Housing Conference featuring HUD Secretary Scott Turner, Assistant Secretary Hobbs, and Director of Public H in Indian Housing Todd Thomas. While in DC, we met with Congresswoman Selenus's office to express our appreciation for the $500,000 award supporting our senior housing construction project. These funds will provide emergency generator power and establish resiliency hubs at two of our senior properties. This investment directly addresses vulnerabilities experienced during the 2021 ice storm when residents were without power to for

7 days lacked ass access to heat, elevators, emergency lighting, EMS, and essential medical equipment support. Congresswoman Selenus visited the site last week to present the award and met with our residents. A summary of the visit will be included in next month's program management report. Um, we were also uh we were also able to secure a meeting with HUD headquarters, which is pretty rare for us, uh, to discuss significant rent increases among landlords participating in the housing choice voucher program, the section 8. These increases are putting pressure on the agency's budget and limiting the issuance of new vouchers. HUD acknowledged our efforts to remain within budget authority and requested additional data to better understand local market conditions. HUD indicated this trend may not be widespread nationally and expressed interest in a further review. We will continue to provide data and followup to ensure they understand. In closing, Salem Housing Authority remains committed to strengthening our community by providing access to safe, affordable housing, supportive services. While we are navigating operational challenges, we are also making meaningful improvements and continuing to deliver strong outcomes to our residents. we serve. Thank you and I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you for the presentation. Any questions? Commissioner Tigan.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Uh, director youth has always really appreciate the the report that you send on a monthly basis and I know it's been a challenging year for your staff and um I just want to commend you for taking the time to despite how many calls you get every day to to bring your team together and you know acknowledge and celebrate their work is I think really important from a leadership standpoint. So, I appreciate that you do that and provide that information in our report. Just want to acknowledge um Karen Estep and and Nina Norfleet, two of your longerterm um employees who are recognized for their 20 and 25 years of service. That's really

amazing. I'm glad that you shared in your report. So, thank you.

Thank you, Nicole. Um I also uh I noted that and as you um informed us that you're short staffed. Can you tell us um how many uh you're down and uh and then how that's affecting those that are there and their basically their workload. Sorry, I don't want to portray that we are short staffed. Um we have a few vacancy vacant positions that are open or will be open. However, these are positions that are filled. It's unexpected leave or extended leaves that we're um happening to cover for that. Um and then of course March comes a very busy time with spring break vacations and other things going on. It's important for the wellness of our staff that we accept these challenges and we find ways to get it covered and move forward.

Thank you for clarifying that. Um I also want to um again acknowledge the fact that you serve approximately 9,000 people in the area um surrounding um Salem uh and the and the surrounding area. So thank you for all that great work. Um I think that was about it. I'm just looking to see if I had any other notes. Any other questions? Commissioner Brown.

Thanks, Madam Chair. Not really a question, just appreciation. It's already been said, but I'm going to say it again. Uh, we thoroughly appreciate all that you do and your team. Um, from last year's tour to even this year, I'm expecting another tour. So, just thank you for the hard work. Um, usually a lot of the work that you do, sometimes it's behind the scenes, but for us up here, we know that it's in front and it's always there. It's consistent. Um, your report that you share with us, especially the page that has all the different vacancies and most of them there are no vacancies. And so, just thank you. Thank you for reaching out to a population that is sometimes overlooked or forgotten and they have a place to to sleep at night. So, thank you to you and your team for what you do. Thank you. Thank you.

All right. Well, um there are no further um information reports, so I will call us adjourned. Hello. Okay. I'd like to call to order this meeting of Salem City Council for Monday, March 23rd. Uh, will the recorder please call the role?

Councelor Tyen, present. Councelor Nishioa, present. Councelor Matthews, absent. Councelor Gwyn, here. Councelor Brown, present. Councelor Vang here. Councelor Nordike here. Councelor Vardney here. Mayor Julie Hoy here. Uh, Chair Nishoka, do we have any additions or deletions to the agenda? We do not.

Thank you. Moving on to council and city manager comment. Does anyone have anything they'd like to share about? Councelor Vney, go ahead. Thank you very much. Is this even working? No, it is. I got to get a little closer, I guess. Okay. Um, for first of all, I wanted to say on our agenda tonight, we're going to be uh recognizing Arbor Month and Tree City USA. Um, I participated in a tree planting at Eagles View Park in West Salem. Uh, there's an area in that park, it's an undeveloped park, but there's an area where that uh there's kind of a little ravine where there's a stream in there, and it used to be just filled with blackberries. and they took all the blackberries out and they had uh and uh friends of trees in the city coordinated and we had about 35 to 40 volunteers there and we planted 950 native trees and shrubs and sedges. Um, and the purpose of those is to uh um limit erosion and also to help filter the water that's going through there because the sedges will help clean the water as it as it goes through there. So, it was a great outing. Great. I mean, that was a lot of trees and shrubs and some of those bare roots. I was planting elderberries and some of the roots are that long and digging in the clay up there. Anyway, it was a quite the accomplishment. Yeah. Um, also March is Women's History Month and usually I read a proclamation for Women's History Month the last couple years and I didn't get it in in time this time, but I just wanted to mention last week uh I attended a women's symposium at the West Salem High School in recognition of of Women's

History Month. It gave a number. There were three uh local leaders there who either were involved in business or other or leadership positions. And we talked about kind of our history, our journey as to how we got to where we were. The theme for this uh this year's women's history month is leading the change. Women shaping a sustainable future. It highlights that women are often at the forefront of solving global challenges. And I wanted to emphasize that the word sustainability in this is not only addressing environmental issues. It also refers to sustainability around economic and social issues to create a world, a place that's better for all of us. Additionally, in March is equal payday. And equal payday this year is March 26th, and it marks how far into the new year a woman must work to earn the same income a man made in the previous year. So basically March 26th, you this is they look at all the different job classifications etc. and women are paid less for doing the same amount and the same types of work. So it takes us basically three months to catch up. This doesn't just impact us annually also in the long term. It impacts women and the amount they collect through their lifetime, their career in terms of social security and retirement funds. And so it's a pretty huge issue. one thing I mean it's extremely important because it impacts families women what I wanted to mention is this gap um and also this year it's uh women are

making about 81 cents on the dollar that men make what's interesting about the gap in 22 23 and 24 that gap lessened in 2025 it is increased again So, we're going the wrong direction. I just wanted to mention that. And so, yeah, we're recognizing it on March 26th. Instead of in 24, we recognized it on March 12th. So, that's the wrong way. In addition to those, I wanted to mention our current our president had a women's history month declaration in the middle of March. And he talks about for 250 years, strong women have brought our nation to countless new heights and moments of triumph and their champions of success. And then he says goes on and he says, "For this reason, my administration will always promote policies that embolden women, uplift our children, and fortify the American family." I wanted to bring this up tonight because uh shortly after that proclamation came out, the SAVE Act was passed in the House. the SAVE Act, which is the safeguard American voter eligibility. And what it does is it requires proof of citizenship, a birth certificate or passport to register or update your registration to vote. Currently, over 60 million women in the US do not have a birth certificate that matches their current legal name. If this SAVE act were to pass through the Senate and be signed into law, it would disenfranchise millions of women. If they get married or move, they have to update their voter registration. If they have only their birth certificate, and that's basically for eight, eight out of 10 of the women, eight out of 10 women change their names when they marry. Basically, they

wouldn't be able to register their vote or update their voter registration. Women were granted the right to vote in in August of 1920 and here in Oregon it was November of 1912, eight years earlier. So, I wanted to bring this up because when women vote, the issues that they care about like gender discrimination, child care, preschool, feeding their families, health care, pay equity, and community programs that support working families. Those are brought to the forefront when women vote. But when they don't vote or can't vote, those issues they care about are often not prioritized. So, I wanted to mention that for Women's History Month. Thank you.

Anyone else? Councelor Nordke,

hit your microphone. Councelor Nordike.

Sorry about that. Thank you, Councelor Vney. I appreciate you. So, um, I have some public safety related comments I'd like to make tonight. Uh, we are going to be acknowledging Child Abuse Prevention Month. I'm so pleased to see our some of our community partners in child abuse prevention here tonight and I you're going to hear some great stats. Well, I mean great as an informative, not great in terms of the state of where we are at. As someone who runs a nonprofit that exclusively serves abused and neglected children, I can tell you the need is very ne very high for us to address child abuse in our city. which is why you are all invited to the annual child abuse prevention parade on Friday, April 3rd at 7:30 a.m. in the morning at the Oregon State Fairgrounds, specifically at the Sunny View Road entrance. This is an a annual gathering free to the public, open to all. And you're going to see a who's who of nonprofits, law enforcement personnel, and others who are dedicated to a purpose, a common cause of preventing child abuse in our community. So, if you would like to come, it is a car parade, so you'll need to bring your own vehicle. But that car parade will start at the fairgrounds and it will end at the Center for Hope and Safety, one of our trusted partners who has served countless women and children and other survivors of human trafficking, sex trafficking, domestic violence, and more. And yours truly will be speaking at that event amongst many other persons. So I hope that we will see you all there. It's a really great way to celebrate and show our support for our most vulnerable community. In other terms of public safety, um, public safety includes many things. Police and fire, certainly our 911 first responders, absolutely, but I'm proud of

the fact that our city has increasingly recognize the fact that it doesn't end there. With the unanimous support of this council for our reach team, we now acknowledge that public safety includes reaching those who are struggling with addiction and homelessness and mental illness and sometimes all three at the same time. And I'm really proud of the fact that this council is building on this. We formed the homeless services team comprised of police officers who work directly with our unsheltered in 2022. We formed the clean team, formerly the SOS team. In 2022, we got the navigation center going in 2023. We started the community violence reduction initiative and we saw a huge drop in violent crime in the year 2025. None of this happened by accident. And so I'm proud of the fact that there has been strong support from this council, including those who currently serve and those who served when these votes were taken years ago, because this is what that progress looks like. Uh, last but not least, I wanted to thank I had a group of volunteers join me for my second garbage cleanup project. The first one we hosted at Riverfront Park. Councelor Vang joined us for that. Thank you very much. And I want to thank the city of Salem staff because we you can volunteer as a group to help clean up garbage in our city. And so you can work with the city staff to make this happen. They provided garbage bags, sterile gloves, and great little pickers. They're so good. You could pick up a single cigarette butt with a little pincher like this. They're really effective. So we cleaned up along the waterfront, Marian Square Park, and Wallace Marine. And more recently, we went to South Salem and cleaned up garbage along Cubler. And since I know

our police chief is in the audience, I just want them to know I picked up three alcohol bottles uh that were obviously tossed from moving vehicles on the side of the road. All three were empty. Two were the miniature glass fireball whisies and one was a full-size beer bottle. And I can only imagine some was going like this and like, "Oh no, I don't want to be caught with an open container." Bing, out it went. So, yes, be watching. Uh, get those DUI patrols back out there. Now, I I know they're out there all the time, but for real though, uh, DUIs are an incredible public safety danger. I know that we do an outstanding job on patrol responding to those and detecting those DUIs. And thank you. If you see someone who's weaving like this in their car, you know, please call it in. They could be a danger to themsel and others, and we don't want anyone to get hurt. So, those are just some of the public safety updates I have for this evening. Thank you so much. Anyone else? Okay. Well, I have something to share. I was in Washington DC this last week. Um, I serve currently on the League of Cities board and was invited to the National League of Cities Conference. All paid for by the League of Cities, not at expense of the city. So that's good news. Um the uh attendance was great. It was an honor to be part of the Oregon delegation made up of local leaders, commissioners, city managers and mayors as well as youth representatives. Hillsboro had a big group of young people. Shout out to Mayor Beach Pace as well as Gresham and Lake Asiggo. We were there to represent and advocate on behalf of cities throughout the state of Oregon. Um, I was there not only as a res representative for the League of all the

cities in Oregon and was able to speak um to the concerns of Rideaway and the change that uh proposed for legislation to take away that funding from individual cities. And for Salem, that would be a big deal. That's 11.4% of our general fund budget and about $24.7 million, I think. and we can't afford that. So, it felt good to speak on behalf of all the cities um for that. Um the other topics while I was there, not only able to sit as a member of the League of Cities board, but also as a representative of our needs here in Salem specifically. um had time with Andrea Selenus uh uh the congresswoman um Senator Jeff Mkeley and Ron Weiden to speak about the river river road mitigation project which is important to us if the bridge were to go out um the only way around is river road and we need the the uh hillsides shored up. The other uh issue was the Wamtt Valley call center which is big and the reality of which became bigger for me as I spoke to the need. Many are not aware that the Wamtt Valley Call Center handles the 911 calls for everything from East Marian County all the way to the coast tie and Lincoln City. 31 or 32 jurisdictions I believe. Um it's a land mass this size uh bigger than Rhode Island, just a little smaller than Delaware. It's a lot of space and it's a lot of people and all of those calls come through Salem. If someone's in the water off Tielemuck, which I which happened when I was sitting along with the call center, um that call comes to Salem and the help is called from here. Uh it's a fascinating work that happens there and it needs our support. Needs a

stronger place to exist with more space and greater capacity and um also seismically sound in case something should happen. We would need that service to stand. So it felt super good to be there. um for all of that. Uh the bottom line is relationships matter, rapport matters with the people who can get us that funding at the state and federal level. So it was super good to be there. We're working together for what makes the most sense for the city of Salem as well as all cities across the state. So that's what I have to say about that. Anybody else have anything to say for counselor comments? I know I'm leaving something out, but it's a great it was a a great week. Um, I do have a little question. I guess I would only add I I know that it's more work, but to see the youth there present was highly impactful for the representatives. I would love to see Salem have a youth contingent to be able to do that work on our behalf. So, moving on to proclamations. Uh, thank you for stepping up last second here. Councelor Nordike is going to prevent the proclamation for child abuse prevention month. Testing one, two, three. Good. Testing one, two, three.

Testing one, two, three. Oh, that's a hot mic. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Alrighty. And thank you for the opportunity to present that. As you know, this one's near and dear to my heart. All right, who do we have to come forward on stage? Let's see. I see Sid Benata Chalm, Peter Curillo, Leslie Cordova, Arias. Would you folks like to step forward as I start reading it off? All right. Whereas children are our nation's most vulnerable members and our nation's most valuable resources helping to shape the future. Two, three. It's a little bit fussy tonight. Let me start over. Whereas children are our nation's most vulnerable members and our nation's most valuable resources. helping to shape the future of Oregon and the city of Salem and a serious problem affecting every community in the United States and finding solutions requires input and action from everyone and whereas child abuse and neglect prevention is a community responsibility and on behalf of Salem's children we join with hold your applause to the end uh the Marian County Child abuse prevention committee consisting of the boys and Girls Club of Salem, Marian and Poke Counties, CASA of Marian County, Center for Hope and Safety, Family Building Blocks, Family YMCA of Marion and Poke Counties, Kaiser Police Department, Liberty House, Maring and Poke Early Child Learning Hub, Maring County Health and Human Services, Salem Angels, Salem Kaiser School District, Midwamtt Valley Community Action Agency, the Maring County Sheriff's Office, Salem Leadership Foundation, Salem Police Department, the Salvation Army

Croc Center, and Valor Mentoring that are committed to preventing child abuse in our community by raising awareness throughout the community and by educating and supporting caregivers and whereas we assert that strong families and safe, stable, and nurturing environments free from violence, abuse, and neglect are essential for children's optimal growth and success, which ensures there's a secure f future for our communities where the needs of children are a priority and the needs of families are met. And now therefore, I, Julie Hoy, mayor of the city of Salem, do hereby proclaim April 2026 as child abuse prevention month and ask the community to observe this month with programs and activities that commit to protecting our children. Thank you, councelor Nordike. Thank you, Salem City Counselors. And thank you, Mayor Julie Hoy, for having us here today. Um, I am Peter Curio. I'm here to represent the child abuse uh child abuse prevention month committee. Um, but I work for Liberty House. In the course of my work, I was asked to give a presentation about Liberty House. And one of the people in the audience asked me, "What is something that keeps you up at night?" Well, one of the things that keeps me up at night is just how hard it can be for children to disclose what has happened to them. Currently, Liberty House serves about a thousand children uh in our medical clinic and our therapy program. They are referred to us for concerns of abuse or neglect. And that number might sound a little bit high. It's probably underestimating the real severity of the problem. The truth is we don't know and we may never know the real prevalence of

child abuse and neglect. Currently the CDC estimates that about one in seven children will experience abuse or neglect before they turn 18. Liberty House has programs that respond to those issues, but we can't continue to respond to the issue and hope that it goes away. We have to take an active role in preventing child abuse. Child abuse prevention month draws attention to this particular issue and the wonderful organizations that are working here locally to do something about it. I'm glad to be joined here by Sid from Marian County and Leslie from the Boys and Girls Club and Vanessa Nordc from CASA as well and other there are all kinds of other great organizations around here who are also doing a lot of excellent prevention work. A community that works together to prevent child abuse and neglect makes for a healthier community for everyone. So, we invite you today to think about what you can do to be part of this of this movement, of this work. Take some child abuse prevention trainings. Check out the Boys and Girls Club. Learn about the resources that are available to you from the organizations in this community. Um, wear blue. Blue is the color of child abuse prevention. So, wear that to raise awareness. Once again, we believe that everyone has a role to play. So, thank you very much. Um, as a representative of Marian County Health and Human Services, I would just like to thank the Salem City Council for giving us the time to make this request. Thank you.

check. Is Lauren Payne present? Oh, come on forward. This is about the the Monarch pledge. And I realized I dressed as one today. So, thank you very much. was a favorite of my mother, so I appreciate this. Whereas the monarch butterfly is one of the most iconic and studied butterflies in North America, widely admired for its beauty. And whereas the monarch butterfly is extremely beneficial, pollinating many cultivated flowers and crops and serving as an indicator species for the ecological health and large geographical areas. And whereas the monarch butterflyy's annual migration, which has been described as one of the most spectacular in the insect world, is now classified as a threatened phenomenon by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. And whereas the western population of monarchs, which overwinter in California, has declined by more than 99% since the 1980s from an estimated 4.5 million monarchs to less than 30,000 counted in the in at overwintering sites in recent years. And whereas a major reason for the decline is the widespread loss of the milkweed plant, the only plant monarch butterflies lay their eggs on, as well as it being the monarch's primary laral food source. And whereas the entire community can play a critical role in providing habitat for monarchs and other pollinators by planting milkweed and nectar plants and reducing pesticide use. Now therefore, I, Julie Hoy, mayor of the city of Salem, do hereby proclaim on March 23rd, 2026, that I will continue to participate in the mayor's monarch pledge, and through the signing of the National Wildlife Federation's Mayor's Monarch Pledge, commit the city of Salem to voluntarily help restore habitat for the monarch and encourage all people of Salem to do the same. Dated this 23rd day of March, 2026.

Okay. Um, thank you to Mayor Julie Hoy, Salem City Council, and the whole city of Salem for your commitment to the mayor's monarch pledge. Um, and for inviting Friends of Trees to be here tonight. Um, my name is Lauren. I am an employee of Friends of Trees. And as councelor Vanney mentioned, we've been in Salem throughout the past year um working to plant native trees, shrubs, and wild flowers um that will not only support monarchs and all other pollinators, but will continue to provide cleaner air and water, shade, and beauty for all of the wildlife and people who call Salem home. And I really just want to thank um all of the people of Salem. It is truly um their efforts that make all of these plantings possible. Um, community volunteers really show us how much the people of Salem care about healthy trees and urban green spaces. And it's thanks to their efforts and commitment that this planting season we planted 2,190 native plants um that will continue to support this effort. Um, so thank you all again for your support and we look forward to continuing to care for Salem's trees and green spaces uh for many years to come. I think it's working. Okay, I am up here uh to read the proclamation for Arbor Month. Uh let's see, Don Gunther.

Don is the project coordinator for urban forestry here at City of Salem. So whereas our urban forest enhances our quality of life and helps to prepare us for a climate altered future by providing cool shade on hot days, blocking cold winds in the winter, purifying our air, slowing down and cleaning our storm water, absorbing and reducing noise pollution, and attracting birds and wildlife. And whereas trees wherever they are planted produce life-giving oxygen, sequester carbon, and have a positive impact on mental health. And whereas trees increase property values, enhance the economic vitality of business areas, foster better health outcomes for community members, and beautify our community. And whereas Arbor Day has been an occasion for planting trees and recognizing the many values and positive benefits of trees to human welfare since 1972. And whereas the city of Salem is one of only 16 communities across the country who have participated in the Arborday Foundation's Tree City USA program since its inception, having met and exceeded Tree City USA requirements for 50 consecutive years. And whereas the city of Salem is committed to continuing to care for and expand our urban forest. Now therefore, I for Mayor Julie Hoy, the mayor of city of Salem, do hereby proclaim April 2026 as Salem's Arbor Month. And I encourage encourage all people of Salem to celebrate Arbor Month and to participate in efforts to plant

and protect trees and woodlands for the well-being of this and future generations. Dated this 23rd day of March, 2026. It's up to you. All right. Uh I'm not the only project coordinator here. Tom Bradley is here also. The two of us have actually been collectively we've been here for over 50 years. Well, 25 for me, probably 27 for Tom. So, we've been we've been doing this for a long time. But I'd like to humbly uh accept this popclation on behalf of urban forestry and our hardworking urban forestry team.

Would you like Thank you, councelor Barney, councelor Nordike. Uh, we are now moving on to presentations. Speaking of trees, we have someone from the state here and I actually have your name. Scott Altonhoff. Is that correct? Great. Come on forward, sir. From urban and community forestry, the program manager with the Oregon Department of Forestry. Good evening, uh, Madame Mayor and members of the council. It's a true honor and pleasure to be here tonight to present the city of Salem with the 2026 Tree City of the Year award uh on behalf of the Oregon Department of Forestry and our state advisory council Oregon Community Trees. As mentioned in the uh last uh segment, Salem has been on the leading edge of urban and community forestry since 1976. one of the first 17 cities to meet or exceed national standards and I've been in my position with Oregon Department of Forestry as program manager since summer of 22. I live in Eugene and worked for that municipality for almost 20 years. And upon meeting the dedicated city staff at the city of Salem, uh I was uh humbled

to say the least to see what a unique approach uh grounded in adherence to uh cutting edge science and best practices not just dealing with trees but dealing with people as well and finding a thoughtful balance between I heard it mentioned uh reference to the triple bottom line. It's not just about environmental concerns. It's also about social concerns and economic concerns and uh the city of Salem's team which involves not just the urban forestry team but uh the planning department, parks and wreck, public works. It's truly an interdisiplinary approach and that's what uh really results in the excellence that has brought this award. So uh just want to call out the staff not just once again in urban forestry but uh in all the departments who work so well uh to uh work to solve wicked problems that um span environmental, social and economic uh realms. So uh just want to give a shout out of recognition. In my mind, the city's approach uh some of the recent accomplishments include uh planning for emerald ashbor, one of the most destructive forest pests uh known uh ever to um reach North America and uh the city of Salem has taken an exemplary approach at in planning and preparing for that insect pest. Uh the city has also uh done noteworthy uh work to promote workforce development and uh diversity in our workforce. Um it was humbling or sobering to hear the statistics about uh pay equity and um Salem the Salem team has done a a

noteworthy job to welcome um non-traditional participants in our industry. So, um, can't give enough accolades in that regard. And last but not least, um, one of the recent headlines related to urban forestry is about the, uh, proposed removal of some heritage oaks. And that is a, a prime example of working transparently and with, uh, delicacy when it comes to public engagement. It's not just about saying this is what we've decided to do. It's a dialogue and um your team does an exemplary job. So, thank you for everyone's work and um I don't know who to present this to, but uh you all deserve have a small piece in it. Thank you for your time and attention tonight. There's much to be proud of there. Congratulations to all of you and thank you. Okay, we're moving on to public comment. Uh we do have one person signed up uh under item two. Um Mark Wig,

you'll have three minutes to speak. Be sure to turn the mic on and say your name, your ward, and or your address for the record.

Mark Wig, ward two. and uh your monarch pledge made me think that you would want to go with a project to to show your commitment to the pledge. And so I'm not sure if you're familiar with the Bonavville Power corridor in West Salem, but Bonavville Power has a 100 foot wide owned corridor that goes from the Wamtt River to Michigan City Avenue. three over three miles and it's owned by the public and the adjoining property owners they can send in a one-page request I want to have and manage the land adjoining mine 20 to 40 ft and as long as they don't build a permanent structure or plant trees they and some people have turned it in and they have gardens out there if the city would lead the effort. We could have three miles of milkweed. You can get the property owners to sign over and say, "I'll let you know others put in the milkeed." But it needs that coordination effort from the city. And a three-mile long corridor with milkweed would attract monarchs and help them a lot. And if it was successful, it would also be a big bonus to those in West Salem. It'd increase housing values and uh be a beautiful thing. So anyway, it's um yeah, I would love to be able to work with somebody with the city, but it's like who would I work with? But I think it would be a really good thing. You know, a project to show your pledge has a commitment

and that's it. Thank you for your testimony. Okay, Chair Nishoka, we're moving on to the consent calendar. Oh, were you signed up? A chance to sign up. Can I Oh, is it an item on the agenda? Uh, yes. 5A. 5A. One sec. Okay. Please announce your name and your ward or your address for the record and you'll have three minutes to speak. It's already on. Hi.

Good evening, Mayor Hoy, uh, councelor, city manager. My name is Kelly Thomas. I live on Braise Avenue in Ward One. Uh, tonight I'm commenting on agenda 5A, the, uh, framework, uh, that you have for the, uh, outreach and treatment. And uh today I have um 803 days in recovery from addiction. Uh my longest period in over 25 years. So it wasn't me who threw the bottles. Um um you know, and this is due in part to me being a convenor of a life ring secular recovery meeting here in Salem. We are Oregon's only active chapter. We meet every Monday night at the IP box. That's why I was late and didn't get to sign up. Uh but I want to commend the city for launching the prevent treat enforcement framework. It's very thoughtful uh foundation and effort. Uh tonight however I want to flag a gap in the treat column which is both significant and addressable. Uh it's the uh absence of secular non-faith-based peer-led recovery support from the framework's community partner list. So, while the current framework includes programs centered on traditional recovery principles, for Salem residents who are secular, non-religious, or simply don't fit uh in the 12step approaches, uh that referral pathway can be a a poor match. Um in fact, research suggests that the largest known secular groups are in fact comparable in effectiveness to 12step programs. And the good news that the secular infrastructure already exists right here in Salem. The city needs to just simply see it, name it, and connect people to it. So, as such, my specific request is three-fold and very simple. Acknowledge the gap. One, um, explicitly include secular, non-faith-based, peer uh, le recovery options in the treat framework. Name examples of these programs such as lifere smart uh dharma well briariety

these already operate locally and then include the secular community uh in the process as staff continues to engage and prepares findings for the May 26th uh council uh return I'd love to help um I can assist with mapping the ecosystem um connect the city to it uh you know I look forward to engaging with the the city further on this matter if so desired um I submitted a full uh testimony uh earlier today. Um it should um you all have it. Um but that's it for me. Thank you for your time. Thank you very much and congratulations on your sobriety. Thank you, Councelor Nordic. Go ahead.

Uh first of all, thank you so much uh for being here. I appreciate you and I agree having multiple treatment options ensures a you can help match the right fit. Can you give me some examples of what does that treatment look like the the group that you lead and how can people get in touch if they're thinking that they're ready for their recovery? How can they get in touch with your group?

Yeah, you know, I've gone through uh multiple uh uh secular recovery programs. When I first moved here, it was recovery dharma, which is based on the Buddhist uh principles and the four noble paths. Uh the four Yeah. the four noble truths and the eight-fold path. And what's funny is when you add those, that's also 12 12 steps. uh um but you know and that included uh just just ways of of living your life wisely, wise speech, um wise understanding, things like that. Secular recovery uh the life ring secular recovery is slightly different. It's it's kind of like build your own recovery. Um I I've been referring to it as Chipotle for recovery. Like you you've got your bowl, right? And so my bowl personally is connection. The opposite of addiction is not sobriety, it's connection. And so my bowl is connection. I connect every day. And so I put whatever I want in that bowl, right? And then then I'm accountable and I'm responsible. And I can't I can't slip up. I can, but you know, the nice thing is we're very forgiving. You don't have to start your days over, you know? Um and so that that's just what works for me. You know, everybody is different. The paths are different and and the community needs multiple paths that work for for each individual. What's that?

My second question was, "And how do folks get in touch if they're interested in your recovery program?"

Yeah. The most important part, right? Um, so lifering.org, you can find our meeting on there. Um, recovery dharma, I believe that's recoveryharma.org. Uh, well, they also have have a website and, uh, SMRT also smart is at rock. Um, the testimony that submitted to you all earlier uh today uh includes a list. I kind of keep I keep a list and I keep it updated and I give it out to people and it's got direct links. It's got all the dates and times and and uh direct links to the because you know they they change all the time. So yeah, thank you. Thank you for the questions.

Any other questions? Thank you so much. Okay. Uh, Chair Nishoka to the consent calendar. Uh, yes. I move for approval of the consent calendar. Second. Motion and a second by Gwyn. Counselor to the motion.

Thank you. Um, the consent calendar consists of 3.1A, which are the March 9th, 2026 draft city council minutes. 3.1B. Um the uh work session um the work session we had on March 16th and then um action items is 3.3A federal aviation uh administration grant applications for the Salem WAMP Valley Airport. And that concludes the consent calendar. Thank you. Any questions? Will the recorder please call the role? Councelor Gwyn

I. Councelor Brown I. Councelor Bain I. Councelor Nordike I. Councelor Vney I. Councelor Tyen I. Councelor Nishioa I. Councelor Matthews absent. Mayor Julie Hoy

I. Great. Thank you. We are moving on to public hearings. The Salem City Council will now conduct a public hearing to receive testimony regarding a request for exemption from competitive bidding process and authorization of an alternative contracting method for the Franen Reservoir liner and cover replacement. The hearing will begin with the staff presentation followed by testimony from interested persons. Testimony is limited to three minutes per person. Thank you. Hi. Hi. Thanks for being here.

Good evening, Mayor Hoy, council members, members of the public. My name is James Winslow. I'm an assistant city engineer in the public works department and uh thank you for having us here tonight to talk about collaborative delivery. So, we're here before you with the Oregon Revised Statutes uh acting, you know, city council acting as the local um contract review board to exempt an improvement contract from the uh public uh competitive bidding process. And so, we're requesting that exemption for the Franen Reservoir cover project. Uh so I'm going to go through uh our city of Salem water system uh the Franen reservoir site itself the benefits of collaborative delivery and then the schedule and then recommendation. So as you may know uh just kind of a brief background on our Salem water supply. Our headwaters come from Mount Jefferson uh down through the North Sanmam River through Detroit Lake Big Cliff Dam into a Garen treatment plant, the island out there near Stton. Um we treat the water and then we convey that to uh most of the water 90 95% of it to Franen Reservoir with a small section on a bypass. from Franen Reservoir. Uh the water gets piped to different parts of the city for consumption and use in residential, commercial and fireflow. Uh we also serve East Salem and Orchard Heights as well as um Turner and then we have an emergency emergency inner ties with Kaiser which you've heard about and in recent meetings as well. Fran and Reservoir is uh one of the more critical parts of our infrastructure in the entire system. Um it's about 62 acre couple different parcels combined combined together. Uh it consists of you can see on the screen there two different uh cells is what they're called. Each cell is about seven acres

of water itself. Um so we have a total of storage there of about 14 acres just for um comparison. Um, Franzen in our system basically operates as a buffer, right? So, it allows Garin Island to slowly produce and treat the water using our slow sand system and then we send it to to Franen and then depending on the demand in the system, Franen reservoir water levels fluctuate right up or down within there and then that allows uh Garin Island to be more uh consistent in their treatment production. Uh so it's really also we use it as a in an emergency storm events or other events we fill up franen and then we're able to draft or pull water out of there. Just as a comparison our average summertime demand is about 35 37 to 40 million gallons per day. In the wintertime it's about 25 million gallons and again 20 that comes from Franen. Another five million comes from line one which is a bypass line. Uh and then we also have some supplies with our ASR um our wells down there in in the park and of course our emergency interai with Kaiser which we've recently operated and are improving upon. So because of the nature of Franen the risks are really high um both to our water supply right the schedule of the project um and then the complexity of the project some of the risks that are really high there's no redundancy franen is the only reservoir in that whole system pipeline before it gets to the other reservoirs in our system but that it's the main the main point for that buffer that we just talked about some other components in terms of schedule the ideal time to really do the replacement project is in the winter time, right? When we have the lowest demand as I just noted however uh that is also the time when we tend to have

water quality events and we're all familiar with the uh impending Detroit water supply or Detroit draw down and the turbid water turbidity in the water that will will impact us and the steps we're taking to mitigate that. So we need to figure out how to do this work um not during those water quality event times. Um, additionally, when you take all the pieces of the cover and liner, they get delivered in smaller pieces, and when you put them together, you have to weld them or fuse them together, glue them. And so, that really needs to be done when it's dry season and a little bit warmer. So, really, we're limited with um if you take out the the winter and the summer demand times, you're limited to the shoulder or off season, right? So there's a narrow window there for schedule to get this work done and complete this. The cover right now is was put in in in 20 um 2004 um is when the reservoir was built. The cover is designed to last about 20 years. Um we're at about 24 years and um this type of material, the polyethylene is um our experts have said they don't usually see it last more than 15 years. So we're really up against that that timeline. So there's some critical uh needs in the system related to schedule timing and risk. So what are some of the benefits of collaborative delivery? Um you heard earlier on CMGC. We've used CMGC construction manager general contractor in the past. Um for this process we're using um Seymar which is construction manager at risk. They're basically essentially the same thing. Um, Seymar just is a different back-end contract documents uh associated with the engineers joint uh contract documents committee which is better for water wastewater facilities versus something like the architects um institute of America AIA which is what the CMGC usually goes for and that's what we've used on projects such as the fire

station, the police or the police station, the library, the civic center um and then some of the other projects um we've done as well. Some of the other benefits uh again they're very similar to what you heard earlier uh but we get to bring the contractor on very early in the process right we hire a design firm to to help out and about 10 15% definitely before 30% we want to bring on that that contractor on board that that early collaboration really helps us to address the project complexities right they're able to speak into what are the means and methods of the project they're able to you know how they would approach it and that leads into designing um the best system, we uh are able to incorporate their expertise in that design a lot earlier. We're able to employ or implement or bring on their innovative ideas during design as opposed to well when you're in bid, why didn't you do this? We could have done this. It would have saved you a lot of time or money. So, we're able to leverage those earlier and it's uh really early work products, right? You can do some of the early work. You can procure uh supplies and material earlier. And we all know some of the lead times we've had with uh delivery of equipment and so those are critical to schedule and reducing the risks faster delivery. Um I'll show you on the on the next slide with the schedule, but we're able to deliver this project um about two years earlier than we would during a design bid build process. So there's a lot of uh savings there as well. local participation. We encourage subcontracts with the general contractor with the SEMAR to uh go local. And so that's always in the um the solicitation process. And then budget certainty. I think that's the the the bigger one for us. When you have a large complex project, you really don't know what the un unknowns are, right, until you get into it. And so when you put those out to bid, the bidder low bid um tries to get

the job as low as they can, right? It's all based on price and then they hit you with change orders when you hit those unforeseen conditions. So the real benefit is we can establish a guaranteed maximum price with the uh Seamar contractor on board because they have been through the design process. They are aware of the risks. They are aware of the unknowns. They are participating in solving them collaboratively with us through that process. And so as they're working on their GMP, that guaranteed price, they understand those unknowns much more fully than you would with a typical design bid build. So it really lends itself to a lot of cost savings, a lot of headache savings, and a lot of reducing the risks for the city, particularly in um a critical infrastructure such as our Franen Reservoir is how critical it is to our water system schedule. Uh on the screen you can see the standard uh process right you have a period of design that preserative design goes into bidding contract award negotiation um and then you get into the build uh the estimate we have with that process with all the procurement and the phases of the work is about January of 2032 completion with the collaborative delivery procurement process we're able to start design at the same time we're able to get that early work and that procurement much sooner in the process we're able to bring the the building um through some of the earlier work. Um so those same phases are done um at an earlier stage and with that collaboration and everything else we're looking at January of 2030. So we're saving about two years which also translates into dollars of savings as well, right? Time is money. We all know that. So there's some critical um schedule and cost savings to doing collaborative delivery with this project. So with that, our recommendation, we just ask uh we would adopt the resolution to support the exemption and

uh with the public hearing and I'm here to answer any questions you might have. Thank you. Thank you. Does anyone have questions? Councelor Nishoka,

thank you. Thank you very much for the report. Um I I I think because we're here, you know, learning more and more about this process that uh it can be a cost savings um time savings uh and so that's pretty important. I'm a little curious as to um the this seems very specialized uh in in doing this and I'm curious as to um will you be uh will we be needing to hire quite far outside of our area or are there qualified people to do this? I'm cur curious about that.

Councelor Nishioa, that's a great question. Um, one thing that I neglected to say that my my boss Allen down has said, uh, we need a special tool to handle a specialty type project such as this. So, you hit that nail on the proverbial head, right, very clearly. Uh, this is a very highly specialized project of bringing in a liner and a cover or whatever our solution is going to be to to fix uh and and provide safe water, drinking water storage and for the system. because of that there there are some local firms in you know in the Portland greater Portland area that do um have expertise in this. We have been meeting with a number of them um ahead of of getting this out on the street you know design firms and contractors. Um so in terms of the contractor I think this specifically your question there is a handful locally that are in town that have done this type of work. Um they are also um under larger companies as well. There's been a couple mergers recently and so those larger firms um have done 90 95% of their work is all collaborative delivery. So they are well versed in a water wastewater collaborative delivery environment such as this. Um large scale projects the the cost range on this uh in the staff report is like 25 to 30 million I think is the range. So, um, we have expertise in the area. We also have, um, because of the size of that, we'll probably get, uh, qualified contractors from outside the area who would be interested as well. So, it should be a very competitive uh, qualification selection. Does that answer your question? Yeah,

it did. Okay. Follow followup. Thank you. Um, because this is very I I don't really know the process. you explained it a little bit where you need to be uh welding um and being present. I'm curious as to uh risks of um the people that are doing the work. Is there u much inherent risk or is the are the covers very strong so they can be on water and and also welding?

Um the the risks are are not there to the workers and safety, right? This this material is very durable. It's very heavy. So, they do tend to uh weld it at the top and then let gravity roll it down to the bottom. Right? Then the liner goes in and then they do the same thing and then they use air to pump it up. Um and then they can put in the the hard um fixtures such as the stairs that go down from the you know because the water level fluctuates. So, it's a floating cover and so they need you need stairs to access the top. And the reason why we need to access the top is because then they have manholes that are hard structures, fixed structures cut in that they weld they cut those in and they have they they reweld around that to seal it up. But those are the access points to get into the uh the reservoir for either when it's empty and full of air or we send a diver in occasionally to do inspection. You know, if we have a failure of the slope or something or a breach, we would have to go in and fix it. So those safety precautions are all there. Uh it is large it is strong enough to walk on. Um there are safety precautions that of course we are taking now walking on it but uh it's there's there's not a lot of risk of that. The risk is the how large of a size cover it is and to get that laid out and rolled out is um very um a lot of work. How's that? Gravity is the best solution from our contractors is what we're being told. So of course

thank you very much. That's great. Having been out there um not too long ago, um I was offered a rope if I wanted to walk on the tarp and hopefully a knife and a life jacket. A life jacket. Um yeah, it's definitely in need of replacement. I am curious about the lifespan of the new tarp. Will it be about the same longer? Is it made of the same thing? Different?

Uh Mayor Hoy, that's a great question. We are our we did have a specialty contractor or a consultant come in to who's wellversed in this. He's done a number of cover liners. Um has knows the products very well. Um kind of did a feasibility analysis with us, reviewed what we already have. He's the one who said this doesn't I've never seen this type of material. The PE polyethylene lasts more than 15 years. So he's recommending newer materials. Right. This was all put in in 2004 and uh since then there's been a lot of new innovation on that market. So there are materials that one recommendation has a 30-year warranty on that. So one option is we could go we could go that route. We could make other choices to do a 10 or 20 year warranty and and change some of the other components of the scope of the work. um part of the design and part of the contractor on board is hey what's the best value for the city in terms of replacement of the entire system or just the cover or or where we need to go. So we have some decisions to make we have some choices but there's a lot of variability in um the cost and the material but the recommendation initially is you get better bang for your buck with a 30-year material. It has a little bit more expensive of course but you have a 30-year lifespan on that and a warranty. I think it's warranty prorated up to at least 25. I could be wrong, but um so there's there's benefits to that longer um warranty and durability product.

Yeah. And the investment we make. Thank you so much. You're welcome. Any other questions? Councelor Barney. Thank you. And thank you for the the presentation. I was curious. You mentioned uh the 14 acres of water. What how many gallons is is does it hold? I'm just curious. That's a great question, Councelor Barney. So we hold in there about 94 million gallons between the two cells. One cell is about 44 or 48 and 46. So 94 total roughly 94 and a half is what's on our system to be more specific. About 100 million gallons. There you go. Okay. Thank you. All those numbers are floating out there everywhere. All three of them.

It's kind of like metric measurements. I kind of understand gallons instead of the acres. Okay. Thank you. Anyone else? Councelor Tigen. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Thanks for the presentation. So, um, you the staff report kind of mentions the the total budget is estimated somewhere between like 25 and 30 million. Um, I was looking at this in preparation. The last CIP had it at 8 million, which I think probably just reflected an earlier stage, not that you thought last year it was going to be $8 million. Um, I'm wondering if this year's CIP will reflect the full cost of the project.

Uh, Council Member Tagen, yes, this year's CIP is reflecting the full cost of the project. We had $8 million programmed as to to get it kicked off and going, right? We needed to to have some money. We were looking at maybe procuring some of the material earlier if we could. Um, a lot of decisions were being made, you know, bringing a contractor on board. That's where we are now. And so some of that 8 million would be spent um now with getting designer and a semar on board. Um but in the next budget process you will see here soon shortly the full cost of of that in the budget and I do believe at the end of it it said um this is just partially funding in future years we'll have more. So

yeah go ahead.

Thank you. Um, and I'm sorry I didn't um flag this question earlier, but seeing your um timeline and thinking that the project wouldn't be done until 2030, but also hearing you describe sort of your consultants surprise about how long the um current product has lasted. Um, I have to admit I I'm I'm feeling a little bit more tenuous about the risks right now out at Fransen in in the way that's been described. Um, so I'm I'm curious if you can speak to the perceived level of risk that there might be failure in the in the current liner and cover and then also what the relationship is to the draw down. Um, if we're trying to manage that as a city and also trying to manage this situation, those feel like there's some relation between the two that is bubbling up in a way I didn't expect.

Uh, sure. I don't know if Director Martin would want to was I correct on the budget question. It'll be fully in the budget. Thank you. Okay. And I don't know if you want me to address the Detroit. Okay. Thank you. Just wanted to check. Um so to answer your question, the liner is already failing. There um are areas where the the UV the top polyethylene coating which has the UV protection has worn away and the the fibrous structural material which isn't UV protected is wearing through. Um, and so our we hire off our contractor of record list Emory to go out there or whoever and uh they do the repairs and so they come in with some of the similar material and they reweld on new patches to try to keep it um intact. To date that has worked and we have been able to you know continue to make this work but how much longer we can make that work is the the question and hence the the nature of trying to um choose a different delivery method that helps to improve the schedule quite a bit and reduce those risks. In terms of the Detroit draw down um I did allude to that a little bit. We um in addition to um trying to do this in the shoulder season and and it needs to be back online before the the draw down happens so that we can use Franen as a buffer. Um between Franen um the additional groundwater wells that we're putting in at Garren Island. Um we are trying to rehab three existing wells that are out there already and get those up into production as well. That's a newer uh um task that's going on. We have um ASR um of course our airsparge wells that we inject in. We'll be pulling water out of those during the draw down. We have the existing inner tie with uh Kaiser emergency interai at Cherry which we use on a you know a semi-regular basis. We had to use it this last December for 15 or 17 days, a couple weeks. And then of course in January we we did our new

inner tie connection at the Weezner pump station and we did a temporary test with some pumps and and chlorination and system. That was a success. We got more water out of uh the system than we were hoping for. Um I think our eight or nine million. So that was great and we can um we can rely on that in the future. So I think the combination of all of those will get us enough water for our wintertime demand of 25 million roughly. So

sorry just one more question. Thank you for that response. I think it's definitely encouraging. Is some part of this process I based on my understanding I've been out to France and had a really good tour of it. My understanding is that the two cells sort of work, you know, there's a system there. Um one releases, one fills, like they work in tandem with each other. Um or the staff uses them in tandem. They don't do anything. we can't anthropomorphize the the the reservoir. Um I'm curious is it seems like the the logical part of me is that you'd have to take one offline in order to repair it and you just have one then you would do the next one. Is that how it works? Like you lose that buffer for some time?

Yes, exactly. We you do have to take the one um cell offline and so that's why we have these in phases. um you know we have one one season will be one cell the next season will be the other cell another season will be some of the other um aertines that might may or may not need to happen um again things we're trying to to figure out there is an isolation valve between the two cells that allows them to to use that the way you're describing and fluctuate we can also turn them off and just just rely on drafting from from one cell or the other and so that's what we'll be doing during during the repairs and improvements is just one cell so that that does limit our capacity, that does limit our fireflow um response, you know, during emergencies. So, there's there's a lot of factors that go into this that that you really want the right contractor on board that has the qualifications that really speak to this is the partner that is going to help us be successful long term. I know I'm asking a lot of questions about the reservoir itself, but I think the answers that you've given have really supported that last point, which is that you need a contractor that's shoulder-to-shoulder with you for the project. So,

yes, please. Thank you. Good point. Thank you, Councelor Tyen. Councelor Nishio, go ahead. Thank you. Kind of um continuing on with these questions. Um, so, uh, once the contractor is hired, I'm I'm I would guess that the contract would spell out, uh, what risks and what, um, uh, retained, I guess, risks that they will take on and risks that the city might have to take on if there's any issues with um, uh, the installation or problems. And that would probably I guess I'm trying to figure out when that might come into play understanding the risks and who would be responsible.

Uh that that's a great question. We we do go through an evaluation. Um you know the contracts RFP process RFQRFP process spells out you know this is what we're looking for. Here's our assumed schedule. Here's our assumed you know risks. Here's the expertise we're looking for. um you know what is how many how many of these reservoirs have you done, how many floating covers have you done? So they're they're providing all that information and then during the negotiation process um there's the early work phases. Um that's really them getting up to speed on what the unforeseen conditions might be, what the risk might be, what they're willing to take on. So they they sign in and agree to that contract. That's part of the the EJC contract documents with Semar um that we vet through legal and and put out there for a typical process. And then same thing, warranty, you know, um any any material defect, um any installation, any labor, you know, those are all our standard standard languages are in any of our contracts and it will be in our seamar contract as well in terms of those warranties and ensuring that we have uh um coverage for for maintaining those long term.

Thank you very much, Councelor Brown. Thank you for the presentation. Um, you know, last year we had a really good tour of the facility and you know, just phenomenal work. There's so many things that I think that the public just does not know when it comes to our water consumption. And I think you said what is it 25 million gallons a day? Is that during the summer also? Uh, summer is about 37 to 40 million. There's more in the summer. More. Yes. Well, because people are irrigating. They have their pools. There's, you know, car washing more frequently. Lots of different usage. folks with those manicured lines. Manicured lines. Okay. Side joke. Um, so first question. Sure.

Will the contractor who did the current one, do you have any inclination that they'll be going through the RFP process again? I was not here. I don't know who the contractor was. I They could I mean Well, and the reason I ask is because currently we have one that is really good. It's gone beyond. And so my question is whatever they did they did something really good or great shall we say and you also mentioned that you know there's going to be different material. So my question is will the contractor who did it previously obviously they could be open to it but do we know if they're even thinking about

I I'm not sure I'd have to research who the contractor was we could figure that out and and we will definitely we could talk to them. Um I think what we would be looking for though is recent experience. Um within the last five years, how many reservoirs of this type of aligner material, whichever we think we're going for. Part of that the designer on board and then getting the contractor on at 10 to 30%. We kind of have an idea of which liner cover we might want to use um a cover material. And so we would be, you know, this product or other these product ranges. What's your expertise in installing them? What's your expertise in installing them on this size of a facility? um you know seven 14 acres or you know 100 million gallons. That's a pretty big facility. So you can't do you can't span it with a fixed roof. I'm you know a lot of reservoirs are smaller. You have a tank we've seen right a steel tank or you have a fixed concrete or steel roof that you can put over top of it. We can't do that with you know without a lot of costs with this type of a reservoir. So we're going to be asking for your qualifications and we really want recent experience. So unless this contractor has continued to do that work then um then they could be a good fit. I have no idea but we could look into it.

Right. And one of the things in the staff report that I just noted is in regards to the budget and the the statement here says that the city has a targeted budget available for the project that cannot be exceeded. My next question is going to be is there a contingency plan if something goes in the way that we don't want it to go. That is part of the semar process with identifying the risk, right? We assess they're part of that.

They're a part of that decision. They come in, they they really they un they understand the unknowns as much as they can. They're aware of them. They give us a guaranteed maximum price. And similar to the earlier presentation and what we shared before, there's contingencies built into that as well. There is an owner contingency and there's a contractor bucket of contingency, but those all are under a a a limit of budget. And so we know going into this what our what our maximum budget is going to be. Got it.

Um and if and if if we're off on that assumption with our estimates, then we're going to have to go back to the drawing board and have negotiations and figure out what to value engineer out potentially of the project to get it within that budget or come back to city council for additional funds. Um those are all above my pay grade. Um I we'll be assisting our director with with helping make those recommendations and our city manag thumbs up. Spend as much as you want. That's what he's doing. No, no. We're trying to be fiscally responsible, right? And so there's, you know, if if this is way over in terms of a contractors, then we would again value engineer out certain project uh parts of it or figure out different ways to do it or a different material that has a short. There's options we have. Got it. Thank you.

You're welcome. Any other questions? Thank you so much. We'll close the public hearing.

Councelor Nishio, would you like to read the motion? Yes. Thank you. I move to adopt resolution number 20 uh 26-8 in support of an exemption from the competitive bidding process and use of Seymar contracting method for the Frasen reservoir liner and cover replacement project. Second motion and a second by Gwyn. Anything further to your motion, councelor? No. Thank you. Okay. Anyone else? Any other points of discussion? Councelor Tigan, go ahead.

Yeah, thank you Madame Mayor. I would just say definitely supporting this I think um this is a very big project. It's a very important project um and it it's yet still just one piece of our very critical water delivery infrastructure. Um we've spent a lot of time talking about Garin Island. We spent a lot of time talking about the wells that we're drilling, the the pipe between Garin Island and and Fransen Reservoir. Um, but I think when people really start to think about the totality of what what does it take for water just to come out of your tap, um, the investment is incredible. Um, and to go about this project in this way, on this timeline, um, I think really makes sense. Um, and I hope it gives the public the opportunity to learn just a little bit more about everything that goes into it. But $30 million is quite the investment. Um, it took us a long time as a community to come together to build a new police station, right? And I think that was twice the this the cost, $64 million or something like that. But um people should know the reason we're able to replace this liner like this is because we have utility rates that grow um alongside our community. Um and so we don't have to go out and ask for a levy or for a bond. And um when we have resources that um grow along with our community, then we're able to maintain the infrastructure that makes flushing the toilet possible and delivers, you know, a bargain glass of water every day to every resident in the city. Um so I'm definitely supporting this. Um you know,

I think for both of the projects that we've seen tonight, we also have to be eyes wide open. Um, we have had projects like this come before the city in the past that haven't hit that um, mark that's been noted. So, I really appreciate um, the city staff thinking about lessons learned from projects in the past and how to keep them to the maximum price. Um, that's really important. Can't foresee everything that might happen, but um, this is a really important contracting vehicle to get the work done on the schedule we need. So, I appreciate everyone's leadership on it. Anyone else?

Well, thank you for putting that together and wrapping that up, Councelor Tigan. I really appreciate it. I agree with you and I know it's it's critical. It's a lot of money and it's our responsibility to bring up these kinds of questions and bring clarity to the community. So, thank you so much. Yes, Council Brown.

Thanks, Madam Mayor. I do want to follow councelor Tigan in that because last year when we went on that tour it was just um what's a good word just staggering to know what goes on behind the scenes because you know I'll just on my own words when I think about when I go into the kitchen washing dishes or you know flushing the toilet very little thought goes into well how does this water get here right it's it's there is so much room to take for granted and So, a part of me uh definitely wants to highlight the great work that this team does and at the same time, you know, maybe we could find a way uh with the leadership of the city manager uh just to find a way to elevate uh the public's knowledge when it comes to our water consumption and just their part in this also. Uh because whenever we value something as um tangible as water because we we need it for everything and how much more so would it be valuable to the upcoming generation especially when we think about local school districts how we can just partner with them when it just comes to educating our young people on how we got water and just the basis of that. It seems really simple but Mr. director, I know you would say this, but the moment something happens, you have to show up at any hour of the night, you know, with your team to be there to fix it. And so, just thank you. Thank you for being on the clock when we're not on the clock and for your team for what they do just to make sure that we have, you know, safe and drinkable water. So, thank you,

Mishoka. Thank you. I will also follow up. I want to thank um our public works department for all the great work they have done on this and um and how precious water is and how fortunate we are to have such clean, lovely tasting water and all the work that does go into it. Um it's easy to not really appreciate it until it's not there or we run into a problem. And I think that they uh the public works department uh has done an amazing job with getting pumps hooked up and all of the work planning especially with the Detroit draw down and all the repairs that need to be done. So we're very fortunate. Thank you very much. Anyone else? I've said it before. I'll say it again. Public works. I'm a big fan. Thank you so much. If there's no further discussion, um, do we need to read the motion again or are we good?

I think we're okay. Okay, let's go ahead and call the role, please. Councelor Brown, I. Councelor Bang, I. Councelor Nordic, I. Councelor Barney, I. Councelor Tyen, I. Councelor Nishioa, I. Councelor Matthews, absent. Councelor Gwyn, I. Mayor Julie Hoy.

I motion passes. We move on now to special orders of business and I believe the city manager Numbbury has our presentation. Thank you, Madame Mayor. Um Brent if you can pull the presentation as uh Brent is uh bringing the presentation online. Um I want to apologize that I haven't printed this presentation. Um I have difficulty printing paper. Uh but also save paper, save trees, save money. And I like all three of them for the city. So um anyway so but most of the content that you're going to see in this presentation should be in this uh document that I have uh given you guys. So so nothing in the presentation should be should be new. Um so good evening. Um I'm here to present launching engagement and outreach for drug prevention treatment and enforcement in Salem. It is um it's a heavy topic and thank you for being part of this conversation. Uh before I begin my presentation, I do want to acknowledge the the team who worked very hard uh to bring this proposal forward. Uh so our outreach program coordinator Lori Sha and I think that the team is here in this um audience today. uh, Lieutenant Dei and then Deputy Chief Aguilar and Assistant City Manager Courtney Knox Bush and and and my special thanks to Victor uh, Fzen. He he's our desktop publishing um, specialist. He was the one who created that safe, clean, healthy Salem visual. Uh, he did such a good job with that uh, with that uh, um, you know, graphic. uh

so he got more work uh with this um but so the the the document that you see here Victor created this so uh so thank you all for uh you know for the good work done on this and also the leadership team um and thank you thank you for bringing this forward and and most importantly thank you for trusting me to present uh your findings and your work uh so I'll try to do a good job with it Brent, can I can you go to the next slide, please, for me? So, substance use um continues to impact safety, livability, and overall community well-being in Salem. It does remain as one of the top concerns that we we actually consistently hear from our community about it. And to just to kind of briefly uh recap why we are having this discussion today. Uh so through our community engagement survey that we did last year um the community uh did say homelessness and cleanliness was the number one priority that the city had to address. So in response to that we did launch safe, clean and healthy Salem initiative uh to address those concerns. So through the same survey drug and substance use prevention was identified as number two priority. So, as part of the safe, clean, healthy Salem conversations, the community and the council have had ongoing discussions about drug enforcement. Many of you on this council have also emphasized the importance of prevention and treatment. We also heard from the community about the importance of

prevention and treatment along with drug enforcement. So, so this propo proposal um builds on those conversations. Uh so during those conversations and also the council meetings um I did mention several times that a complex issue like this uh requires a more comprehensive approach and the leadership team and I had several discussions on how to best move forward with this and we strongly believe taking a comprehensive approach just like what we did with the safe, clean and healthy Salem uh would be appropriate. Um and also it's important to uh it's important that we make this as part of that safe, clean, healthy Salem uh initiative. Next slide please. So what are we trying to achieve with this? Um what we are presenting here tonight is definitely not a single solution uh but but a clearer understanding of the system that we have right now and also how prevention treatment and enforcement um currently function. I think it's important to understand uh what the city role is in that and also how our partners are playing role into it. Um we and also there are gaps that exist in this process as and and we'll have that conversation in a minute. But our goal is to align the city efforts, our efforts to strengthen coordination and also ultimately to build um more effective and long-term strategy for our community.

Next slide, please. And so with that what I would like to do is introduce that assessment and engagement tool. And this is uh what we are calling it. It's the assessment and engagement tool what you have with you. And so this is a basic framework um to for all of us to understand where the available resources are, available services are and then also make sure do we uh map what our roles and um responsibilities are across different agencies. Um and also there are opportunities uh along with the gaps there is also opportunities to move forward. Uh so this framework becomes a tool uh for us to track this prevention, treatment and enforcement in one place. Next slide please. Um so this also this tool helps us to answer three key questions. uh what we are trying to achieve and um and who's responsible for what and also where are we falling short with the with the current system that we have. Next slide please. So this is uh what you are seeing on the screen is same as what you have with you. Um there are also additional copies at the front if anybody in the audience want to want to kind of um you know pick one. Uh so this this framework uh is designed to help us clearly map the system that we have right now. Uh starting with our our goals when you see at the towards the left top corner um you know it's to lower substance use and improve health for our community. That

is what we're trying to achieve that with that uh you see the different um um key focus areas uh prevent treat and enforce. Those are the key three um key focus areas that we are working on. And then what you also see uh outlining the roles of both the city and our partners. So your second column represents the city's role in this uh you know in prevent, treat and enforce and third column is how our partners are coming to the table. Um so it it maps all of your available services across across this program. and also to the the last column um the the fourth column or the the one at the end is identifies where opportunities and gaps exist. So this is also could be a great tool for us to do further analysis on this and also for future decision making. This graphic is not complete. Uh this is the work staff did for a few weeks just to be able to kind of fill those different roles and responsibilities, but our goal is to continue to work on this and I'm pretty sure there are going to be more services and resources that are going to be added to to to this graphic. So what you can really think of it this is uh uh think of this as a system map. Uh so it helps us to see the the full picture in one place. Next slide please brand. So the city's role is uh in this is to connect, align and advocate for a coordinated and effective system uh for Salem. So of course as part of uh this

process uh we we convene partners and bring stakeholders together. We work to align resources uh and priorities and we need to be supporting enforcement and we are also uh we also need to advocate for improvements in areas outside direct city control. Next slide please. So, I don't want to go through this uh I don't want to read out everything that's on this um slide, but what you're looking at is in those three key focus areas. This is the city's role. Um as you can see, uh there are a lot of proactive services the city works on through our safe parks, library programs. So, there is a role that the city is uh uh playing. the the the main one on that is the work uh Lori Sha does on the opioid prevention and youth program. So Lori, I appreciate the work that you do for this community on this. Um and on the treatment side of it, the city has taken on the role with the reach program and again our role is to that handoff to community- based programs and resources. So there is a role that the city is playing um right now. Um and then we have on the enforcement side through the police department and then the city advocacy on this. Next slide please. So of course this work uh depends a lot on strong partnerships that we have. Um so especially on the um treatment side of it um that that is outside of uh our direct authority even though we are you know contributing to that through our reach program but we do have a lot of help from our county partners and I do want to appreciate their effort in working with us and I get to hear that

from the police chief and the fire fire chief and the staff about our uh partnership with the with the Marian County in bringing some of these services to the community. Uh so Mian County Health and Human Services um in the programs like uh law enforcement assisted diversion and then of course the regional uh and community partners um across the uh community. So coordination across these uh partners or these groups is very essential for us to have a for us to have a successful program through this. Next slide please. So this lists all of those services and resources at least um based on the staff's work the initial work for a few weeks these are the resources that they have identified that are available through different agencies. Next slide please Brent. So and and your last column talks about what are the key gaps um in the system right now. So we are seeing uh the none of this should be uh news to anybody. This is something that we hear all the time that we are seeing constraints in jail capacity. Uh there are limited public defenders. So enforcement uh capacity is um um stretched for Salem and so this is on our end. We do not have uh dedicated drug enforcement officers for Salem right now. Uh there is work that is being done but we don't have dedicated resources to work on it. And then we also acknowledge the uh the fact that we do not uh the prevention strategy for Salem is limited. When I say that uh you

know when Lori gave her presentation to me this is like four or five months ago. One of the questions that she asked me was where does Salem want to go with with the prevention because there are a lot of resources that are available but we need to be clear on how we would like to approach this that means we need to have a strategy or this council has to have a strategy on how to um approach prevention in Salem. So, so that's kind of one of the reasons why I think it's important to talk about what our prevention strategy is and to be very clear about our vision or what our ultimate um goal or outcome that we are looking for. Next slide please. Um the in the in the gaps uh section you also see that um there is a need for um cross- sector youth prevention network. uh there's also need for beds for um care and recovery and that's especially for for kids. So there are several gaps that are identified there and these are not um so these gaps are definitely limiting the effectiveness of the overall system. Um so as you can understand that addressing these uh issues will require coordinated multi-level coordination that is required on this and not all of these are under city's control but they directly impact outcomes in our community in Salem. Next slide please. So what are we seeing so far? Uh our preliminary findings are the treatment large is largely outside city's uh city's direct role. Uh our enforcement capacity is limited and also it's important to acknowledge that uh

partnerships are essential in order to um address uh this issue. Next slide. The work that is already underway is staff have already started initial engagement with our partners. Resource mapping is underway and you can see that as we were building that assessment and engagement tool. There is more work that needs to be done to make sure that we have a complete picture. Uh we have uh staff have also started convening um regional opioid partners. So that is kind of a huge step for us. Next slide, Brent. So what comes next? Uh we'll continue engaging uh partners and refining the system assessment that we have done. So over the next few months or uh next two months, we'll continue refining this analysis and come back to you with more targeted actionable recommendations. We are still doing the um the analys analysis on this. Our plan is to return to council May 26th with some recommendations, but I'm also hoping for in between I think you will get to hear more about it. And I would like to follow the same path that we have taken for safe, clean, healthy Salem, which was once we kind of launched the initiative, we did bring information back to the council with more updates so that uh you know what's happening um with that with this particular initiative. So I think community engagement is uh is very important. Um I was uh very appreciative of the gentleman who came and testified and talking about some of the ways that we could improve this. I think I think that kind of an engagement at a um community

level is very important for us to uh make this uh uh a successful program. Next slide please. So this this work um aligns with our community health improvement plan. It reflects our community priorities around mental health and substance abuse. We are taking a datainformed and coordinated approach and this should not be a surprise because it's the same path that we have been taking um that I think it's it's important that we make our decisions our data informed decisions and most importantly what what I'm excited about I think this gives us an opportunity to build a long-term strategy for Salem and as I kind of look at this. Our goal is goal with this initiative is for a more coordinated um effective approach that improves um outcomes for Salem community. And before I end my presentation and open it up for questions, I this is kind of my personal reflection on this. Um, I want to recognize this council for the work that you have done to help us um, get to this point. Um I can't really pinpoint one meeting but I think there were several council meetings where uh this topic came as uh for conversation and I think the way you have contributed to this to bring uh this initiative forward to this community and to this council is

asking the right questions and bringing uh different viewpoints and perspectives, bringing your life experiences into the conversation and then sometimes uh challenging our norms, challenging how the city is operating. I think that's important. Uh what what was uh impactful to me at a personal level was uh some of your comments around um opioid epidemic. Uh even though it was a tough conversation and difficult to um listen to those experiences. uh but they were at the same time uh were inspiring um for the city staff uh to do something about it to address the issue. So I appreciate all of you uh for bringing forward and and be very candid about about this issue. So when it comes to when that kind of an engagement um comes in and there were also many people that testified in this council um meeting and so when that kind of a that level of engagement comes to the table uh especially with diverse thoughts that often leads into um having a stronger and more comprehensive approach. So that is why it is it's it's critical that we have this conversation. So so I'm excited about this comprehensive approach to this issue. Uh it is a complex issue but um I want to thank you guys for for uh how you have contributed but I'm also uh chief um thank you for the conversation you and I had for close to like 60 minutes on this. it really

kind of building on top of uh like those topics and getting to a point where we felt like no we can um address this differently and uh and do something uh to make a difference in the community. And so my hope is uh that uh this also becomes a shared effort that we collectively own with this community. I don't think the city of Salem uh or us as a staff can address this issue uh by ourselves. Uh I think this we need the council support. We need our partners' support. We need the community to be at the table. Uh so I am uh uh I'm grateful that I I got the opportunity to present this information today. This is this is very close to my heart and uh I've been kind of talking to the staff about it quite a bit. So So we are here to me and the me and staff are available to answer any questions that you have for us. Thank you.

Councelor Nordic.

Thank you so so much city manager and I love it. I want to see more of it. To me, what you've done is you've assimilated all the information that we give you, the thoughts, the concerns, the experiences, but by looping in our police chief, by our fire chief, uh I feel that our city is on a better path. I think that the healthy clean sale initiative which you came up with too this is really reminiscent of that because it's holistic because it talks about not just one aspect but those three I call it a three-legged stool really for addressing drugs enforcement alone is not enough treatment alone not enough prevention alone not enough and to me this mirrors the work of the cell the safe and healthy Clean Salem because that too was about addressing different facets of the same challenge by having the homeless services team, the clean team and the reach team. They all complement each other beautifully. And I also really appreciate the emphasis on the gaps at the end here because as we all know, the city of Salem didn't cause the opioid epidemic. We didn't cause the homelessness crisis. But that doesn't mean we are excused from doing our part. And you're asking us to do our part, no more, no less, and to find more ways to collaborate. We've already had tremendous success collaborating with our community partners. Marian County comes to mind. We work with them on lead. We work with our DA on lead. Marian County and the city of Salem bought the navigation center, which by the way, I think belongs on this chart. under both prevention and treat. Because there are folks who go to the navigation center to

leave the streets and if they're not using drugs when they're on the streets, they are at risk of being exposed to them and using it as a coping mechanism for the extremely harsh conditions of living without shelter, without safety. So having the navigation center means that we can remove people from an extremely risky environment, but it also means for those who have already been exposed to illicit substances, places like the navigation center and other shelters where people can come in and no longer be surrounded by drug use, no longer be surrounded by open containers that can also connect them to treatment. So, I think the NAV center is something I would add on here. I also really appreciated the comments about secular recovery. I absolutely agree with that. Another comment I would like to make is on jail space. Now, I don't know what the current vacancy rate is at the Marian County Jail, but when I toured it a couple of months ago, they said that they were not full, but close to it. So without being able to identify the precise number for you tonight, I concur that jail space is extremely limited because remember jail, you know, drug offenders are not the only offenders out there. We have persons accused of persons crimes, whether it be child sexual abuse, rape, etc. Um, we just don't have the capacity to throw everyone in jail, even if we wanted to. So I appreciate this. I'm looking forward to next steps and to us being a part of the solution.

Councelor Brown.

Thanks, Madam City Manager. Definitely appreciate the presentation. Um, and I'm going to follow uh councelor Nord's thinking. So, hearing this, I I'm all for it. I think one of the things that I'm going to suggest that we do when I look at this uh there is a suggestion that we reduce and eliminate uh the flow of drugs in our community. Having having seen that and also I'm going to just layer my thinking because I'm going to include uh Chief Omax and his team strategic plan. So there's a reduction here and there's an elimination and there's also a point where we want to enforce uh the laws which I'm for all of that. My ask is this. My ask is that we began this in Northeast Salem and and here's my justification for that. uh when Chief Omac was here last year, the year before and the year before, year after year sharing with us uh the data when we look at uh the hotspots for those of us that are here in the space and for those of us that are at home, the hotspots that live within this county, they are in Northeast Salem. And so when you look at Northeast Salem, when you get uh beyond Ward, when you start traveling down through the county and you get close to Brooks, you get close to Woodburn, you get into some areas to where the county would say this is where we spend not only a lot of our resources, but this is where we pick up a lot of folks who do drugs. That's the data that came from uh the city and that's the data that came from the county. So my ask is let's begin this in Northeast Salem. A B one of the things you said city manager was you said we want to do this as a collective with the community. Yes. I second that tremendously. And I would like to suggest that uh the Northgate um neighborhood association could be a part of that discussion. Uh, one of the

things that that particular neighborhood association has done for years, even before I moved to Salem, uh, they have done a phenomenal job when it comes to um, working with folks who are either in a gang, used to be in gang, maybe they are just being influenced by a gang. And when Chief WAC um, when the program was there to where we could actually lessen gang influence, uh, it paid off. But when that team went away, the data also went back up to where there were more police um that had to, you know, arrest more folks, more drugs on our street. And so when I say that, the that neighborhood association, they do a great job when it comes to just taking care of a lot of the graffiti. and Chief WAC would say that it's been an ongoing ongoing and ongoing, but when there is no money to deter those particular young people or young adults, then the graffiti it rises. And so the work that's being done in Northgate, it's it's work that this community is spending money over and over again. And so my ask is it's not in the budget. And I know we have the chair of the budget committee sitting here. Um, yep. um plant this seed right now. And so one of the things I'm going to ask is that we really need to find a way. He's always thinking like there goes Dr. Brown again. We really got to find a way to have a hard courageous conversation when it comes to drugs in our community. We really got to have that conversation. And and and let me tell you why. Because our tax dollars are being spent um in that area, but we're not doing anything when it comes to prevention. We don't want to talk about bringing police officers back into the school system because people get upset about that. Now, I put that on the table because we have to find a way to increase or bring back that gang unit. And although

Assistant Chief Ditto is not here, he would second this. And I also saw um Chief Agar, she she's out there, she would second this that when it comes time to that particular unit, they did a lot of phenomenal work. They did some great work in the city and we got to find a way to bring it back. And not only will I say that part, we have spent so much time taking care of our downtown folks, Northeast folks. They're thinking like, okay, can we get a little bit of that love, too, right? And so that's where they're saying, hey, we want to be a part of this this discussion. The next part I'm going to say is probably the most challenging, and this will probably get the most push back, but I welcome it. We want the community involved. We want to have a conversation. We want to get the drugs off our street. We don't want to keep locking people up. But the part we have not talked about is that if we're going to have an honest, thorough, courageous conversations about drugs, we also have to discuss ICE. Nobody wants to say that, but Urban needs to put it into the space. And let me tell you why we got to have that conversation. Uh, Madame Mayor, I appreciate you. Because every time we come here after two weeks, we give our council remarks, right? Where'd you go? Where'd you visit? And I didn't share mine tonight. The reason I didn't share mine is because last week I went to a school and the school asked me not to say their name. And the reason they not want to say their name is because there is fear there that a lot of the parents and their kids will be separated. So they didn't want the extra commercial of their city counselor highlighting their school on this stage. So, they didn't want that. And I share that with you because if we're going to find a way to bring the community together, we can't do it without Northeast Salem. We can't do without those brown and black communities. We can't do without the poor folks. And and and as much as we say we're we're doing a great job, we

can do a better job. We have to do a better job. And the reason I say this is because if we don't find a way to bring the Northeast folks together, they are not going to trust the folks in the uniform. I can tell you right now, they don't trust the folks in uniform. So, we got to find a way to fix that. And only way to fix that is you have to have open and honest, thorough conversations, not only with some organizations like the NAACP, like Mono Mano, like Loose, you got to bring them back together. and I will sign up on the dotted line to be a part of that discussion because I want to make sure that the folks in Northeast will know that not only do we appreciate them, but we want to support them. We want to support the homeowners. We want to support the business owners. We want to support every entity that's in the northeast part of this the city because we want them to know that we value them just as much. And so I applaud this effort and I am definitely going to sign up to be a part of it because whatever we can do to make a joint partnership and coming together as one, I'm there. I yield the floor.

Of course, on a lighter note, uh, Councelor Brown, I did not know that Councelor Tyan has some extra money sitting. I'm I'm first in line for that. I just want to let you know. Um it's working already.

So, councelor Brown, I I appreciate your comments. Um and yes, and I think I know you and I exchanged uh you know few thoughts about uh even this safe clean healthy initiative and the reach program. Uh and I know we are trying this as a that particular program we are trying as a pilot in in in downtown. Um I acknowledge the the importance of uh you know providing similar services to Northeast and I think it's critical that that we provide similar services throughout the community but especially our two you know areas that are that that have the call volume which is your downtown and northeast Salem. And I just want to kind of publicly uh state this. The reason why we picked downtown was uh based on the data. I think I did kind of say that one kind of number one and number two and okay we'll we'll try this as a pilot but but but providing these services in Northeast is very critical and it's important and and me and the leadership team um uh do acknowledge that. So we'll be we'll be working towards that. Um and and I think with uh as we look into this uh drug prevention, treatment and enforcement, I think there is a a plenty of opportunity for us to think differently to collaborate with our partners. So your comments are well taken uh and and we will be kind of working towards providing these services equitably across the community.

Thank you,

Councelor Vang. Uh, thank you, mayor. Um, I echo everything councelor Nordike and councelor Brown said, especially about Northeast and East Salem. Um, city manager, just like the a safe, clean, healthy Salem uh flowchart, I love this flowchart, too. It's colorcoordinated. It's easy to follow. I love that. And this sets a really clear roadmap for not only our community, but also our uh community partners and our residents. And so I'm really looking forward to taking this out into our community and talking more about it. Um, in terms of uh, East Salem, this flowchart really reminds me of something that happened last summer in front of a elementary school in East Salem. There was rampant uh, open drug use and children were walking to and from school. That was one of the concerns and one of the most frustrating parts. my constituents came to me um during our neighborhood association and the city manager met with me and was already actively working with our community partners to address that issue. And so I see this uh prevention, this prevent, treat, and enforcement as a bigger scope of that issue that was happening in East Salem. And I know that if it's happening in East Salem, it's happening in Northeast Salem, it's happening in West Salem, it's happening in South Salem, it's happening downtown, it's not just in one part of our city. And um I'm really excited to see how this develops. I want to know what our community partners have to say in response. And really, um what I would like to see is how do we replicate the successes that we already have? We know

that our navigation center has been a tremendous resource for our community. I would love to see another navigation center with our community partners out in East Salem, Northeast Salem, in the um the area where there is the most need. I just think it makes sense and it flows well and in line with this road map, this flowchart that we have. So, those are just some of my initial thoughts on this proposal, but I am excited to be part of the solution and be proactive in the conversation. Thank you. Yes, go ahead. I

I just want to kind of uh the credit for the graphic and all the content goes to staff. It was not my doing. So, I just want to uh Great work by by the team. Councelor Tyen.

Yeah. Thank you, Madame Mayor. Um Krishna, thank you. Um the one of the things that jumps out to me that feels um important to start on as you get ready for the May 26th presentation is this um idea of crafting the the regional network for settlement recipients. Um stands out to me as an important gap. Um, I think we've talked at length in other council meetings about the amount of money that's coming to Salem for the opioid settlement that's coming to a lot of jurisdictions around the Midwamtt Valley. And so, it seems like there's tremendous opportunity to try and pull some of those funds. I mean, we are have already started spending those funds here in the city of Salem. you know, the um Redwood Crossings project, the the $250,000 that we spent at our last um Salem Housing Authority meeting. So, the money is already being spent. Um but I think there's an opportunity um to cra craft programs together that can match dollars, turn $1 into $3. There's national level funding, there's state level funding, there's municipal level funding, there's county level funding. So, I think um your strategy already focuses on this and so I'm just encouraging you to keep going on it is that the the partnering with folks um to make those dollars stretch even farther. Um, I would recommend things like, you know, something like an innovation incubator where we're spending money on things that we wouldn't normally spend money on that are big ideas that could transform neighborhoods, but this is like our only opportunity. We otherwise wouldn't get money to do that. Um, could we do something like that with another partner? Um, the other thing I would

really recommend is so many jurisdictions across the United States are getting this money and so some part of a regional network for settlement recipients should in include researching what other organizations are doing, what's working in other parts of the nation. Um, this money is a one-time solution to a long-term problem. So I I don't think we can um under innovate our way out of this. Like we just have to do more. Um and I think the places that Dr. Brown and and um Councelor Vang are talking about are just the places that this innovation should be happening. Um so I I really appreciate your focus on building those partnerships and making the most of this one-time money that we're going to get. Anyone else?

Councelor Brown.

Thanks, Madam Mayor. And I I want to follow councelor Tigan's thinking because um which I love when we start talking about numbers and just ideas because I think there's I think there's there's value and there's power when we come together as thought partners. And one thought partner that I'm thinking of, I'm thinking of the county. Um, I had multiple conversations last year uh with the sheriff. I had multiple conversations with some of the commissioners and and I have seen their contribution. I have seen what they have done when it comes to whether it's opening a clinic or whether it's supporting some of our schools in uh in Northeast. And so I do believe that they would be at the table and I think you already already mentioned that. And so part of me says, how can we do more of that to where we become thought partners? And and I'm going to say something that could be really challenging. One of the things that we have in our current environment is that we have folks that are just very divided. Very divided um politically, socially, uh psychologically, spiritually, any ly word, just add it on there. And so, not to put that on our shoulders, but a part of me says it is up to us, the elected officials, including, you know, the city manager and her team to find a way to unite us, right? Uh, I think we are stronger together and we have to find a way to to bring that mindset and bring that spirit together. Yes, it would be a huge lift for all of us because it is a gigantic paradigm shift, but it's a paradigm shift that I believe that our city needs.

Councelor Nishoka,

thank you. Um, I support all of uh the comments made by my fellow uh counselors. The one thing that I'm um most concerned about and it I'm concerned about it all, but what I'm also very concerned about is we've seen um programs especially for youth being underfunded or now lost all their funding. and programs that would be available not just for prevention of drug use, but for opportunities to be able for them to um share their experiences, be together, and be safe in locations. And so I uh I I will have to say I really appreciate in the goals is youth programs. And I know that um these are really more nonprofit or otherfunded, but I feel that uh just like the community violence um reduction initiative, we were really trying to target um people in high school and even younger uh to make sure that they didn't get caught into gangs or other um harmful behaviors or with harmful groups. So, I feel that um I I'm very glad that you have that on there. I'm not quite sure how we might be able to find partners that can help us with that, but I'm so worried about our youth not having places to be. So, I I do want to press that in in all parts of the city. Councelor Quinn,

I just want to say to our city manager and to staff, just think where we were a year ago today and how far you guys have brought us. So when we talk about unity, um I think you've done a really good job of not only bringing us as a council together, but the community as a whole. Um, and I just appreciate your innovation and your willingness to think outside the box. So, I'm super excited to move this forward.

Anything further,

councelor Vney? I really don't have anything else to add. I mean, my colleagues have said it all. I mean really all of your different input is f fantastic. I saw the uh data system data sharing systemwide outcomes. Um that of course is really important to me. Um thinking about our performance measures. Um you know what we're going to base those on. I mean that's all coming up in the future. Let's see. Did I have a question? No. I am just so proud of the city of Salem staff, our city manager. I mean, first I was thinking, boy, are we setting the bar high, but we're not setting the bar. We're actually building the structure, and that's what I'm just really, really proud of. So, thank you all.

Great point. Thank you, Councelor Barney.

No information only. Yeah. Thank you, Christian. All right. Yeah. Right. We are We're looking forward to you coming back. And it's May 26. Did I hear you say, Councelor Tigan? Okay. Thank you. Moving on to information reports. I'll just go through these one at a time. If there's anything you want to stop about, just let me know. Item 6A, purchases approved. administratively from February 1st, 2026 through February 28th, 2026. 6B, the 2025 annual tree report. 6, Congratulations. 6 C, the hearings officer decision, conditional use permit to allow short-term rental for an existing single family dwelling at 2494 Crest Brook Drive Northwest. If nothing, that concludes our information reports. We're moving on. Uh, no ordinances 7.1. We have a do we do have a first reading. Ordinance bill number 526, an ordinance declaring certain territory located at 5524 Skyline Road South, annexed to the city of Salem, prescribing its comprehensive plan map designation and zoning and withdrawing the territory from the Salem Suburban Rural Fire Protection District. Should I go ahead?

Yeah, go right ahead. Thank you. Um, I move to advance ordinance bill number 5-26 approving the annexation of territory uh located at 5524 Skyline Road South, including minor comprehensive um plan map amendment to the multifamily residential zone change to RM-I and withdrawal of the territory from Salem Suburban uh rural fire protection district to second reading for enactment. Second motion and a second by Gwyn. Okay. Anything further?

Seeing nothing, will the recorder please call the role? Councelor Bang I. Councelor Nordike I. Councelor Vney I. Councelor Tyen I. Councelor Nishioa I. Councelor Matthews absent. Councelor Gwyn I. Councelor Brown I. Mayor Julie Hoy I. Okay. Moving on to second reading item 7.2A. Yeah. Councelor Nishio. Do you have the motion?

I move to um engross ordinance bill number 4-26 as indicated in the bill um and proceed to second reading of the engrossed ordinance bill. Second. Motion and a second by Gwen. Council, anything to the motion? No. Anyone? Okay. Will the recorder please call the role? Engrossed Ordinance Bill number 426, an ordinance relating to tourism promotion amending SRC sections 38.020 and 38.040. Councelor Nordike. I

councelor Vney. I councelor Tyen. I councelor Nishioa. I councelor Matthews absent. Councelor Gwyn. I councelor Brown. I. Councelor Bang. I. Mayor Julie Hoy.

I. All right. We are moving on to public comment. Um, I'll call two names at once. When your name is called, please come forward to the podium. Make sure the button is pressed so the green light's on and announce your name, your address, or your ward. For the record, I call Echo Dunham and Philip Devon. Good evening, Mayor Oi counselors. My name is Eko Dunham. I'm a resident of W 3 Morningside Neighborhood. I'm here tonight as a lead advocate for Bridge City Village. Before I begin, I want to remind us of the foundation of this meeting. Article 1, section one of the Oregon Constitution declares that all people is inherent in the people. This government is founded on our authority and institute for our peace, safety, and happiness. I'm here tonight to exercise that authority on behalf of the thousands of Salem families facing the trauma of parental alienation. Tonight, the city issued a proclamation for child abuse prevention month. But to make those words real for families, all families, we must acknowledge the scale of psychological abuse. Peer-reviewed research confirms that over 22 million parents in the US, roughly 13% of all parents are targets of alienated behaviors, which is learn behavior to hate. A willing, able, loving parent. It's not natural. In the land of parental alienation, we wear royal blue for the children caught in the middle, green for the parents

being erased, and white for grandparents losing their legacy. For too long, we've been told there's no room for this conversation in April. But when 22 million Americans are affected, we must make room. Based on national averages, thousands of Salem residents in wards one through eight are currently being impacted by this issue in silence. Because this government is run by the people, our awareness efforts must be accessible to the people. Next Friday morning, April 3rd, the city is partnering in a paint the town blue parade. It starts early 8:15 in the Friday. This timing excludes every working parent, every child in school. It's an event for insiders, not for the citizens. I'm asking this council to advocate for moving these awareness events to Saturdays so the actual families of Salem, the ones who hold the inherent power in the city, can participate. Nearly 50% of the 22 million cases are classified as moderate to severe, requiring specialized community support and awareness. I've submitted a formal request to your office and to Governor Cotch to proclaim April 25th as per parental alienation awareness day. I'm also asking the city to light the Union Street, which I got a yes, and Riverfront bridges in blue, green, and white from April 25th through the end of the month. I'm handing a Salem specific proclamation draft and the supporting research data to the city recorder. Now, let's lead Oregon in protecting the parent child bond. Thank you. That's it. Can I hand these to you guys? Is that okay? Or just to her? Okay.

Philip Devon and Randy Bogle.

Good evening, city council. Uh, my name is Philip Dean. I'm here to speak up. I guess Philip, excuse me for interrupting. And could you start the clock again, please, Ashley, or whoever's on the clock? Um, just step a little closer to the microphone so we can hear you, please. Thank you so much. Is that better? It's a little better. Yeah. Thank you.

Okay. All right. Good evening, city council. Um, thanks. My name is Philip Dean. I live at 2811 Park Avenue. I'm here to speak up about homelessness and my concerns that I've gone to a few city council meetings and you guys have talked about the you guys have talked about housing and like the cost of clean up after cleaning up homeless camps. And uh I guess my question is why why are people choosing to live underneath the bridges and next to the freeways? And why are they choosing not to go towards um arches or the missions to get services? Why are they why are they moving further out of city limits? Why are they going further to the edges of the cities instead of coming in closer to where the services are provided like at the missions? You know that that you know you're needing the outreach people to go out for to go out to the camps and and um that's where I feel like more could be done to encourage the people to want to go to the services instead of having to need the outreach people to go out to the camps. I mean, a part of having the police and the outreach team with the police and trying to get the I guess trying to highlight the drugs that are being done at the camps and trying to um trying to not having to spend so much on clean up after the camps and more of that preventive maintenance, uh preventative outreach of more of the community, the people in the camps kind of regulating each and encouraging them to report drug use and report bad

behaviors and highlight anything sooner. I guess um I guess that is all. Thank you and good night. Thank you for your testimony. I'm sorry.

Excuse me, Phillip. Councelor Brown has a question for you. Do you mind coming forward again? Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir. I typically don't ask um questions and this is you don't have to answer it. Uh but there is a gentleman back there. He's a police officer. You see him right back there with the white hair? See him right there? Yes. Those question you ask, he and his team are doing a phenomenal job when it comes to working with folks in our homeless counts. And so if you had a few minutes, uh, definitely touch base with him. He can like shed some light on some of that for you. Okay. Thank you. You're welcome, sir.

Thank you, Phillip. I call Randy Vogle and James, I believe it's Futrell. Good evening, guys. Uh, my name is Randy Vogle. I'm the operations manager at Sensible Speech and Rehab. My wife and I started this started Sensible Rehab um in this community because we saw a huge gap in access to care um for children in this community. Um at the time, uh the only outpatient speech therapy clinic um was Salem Hospital that accepted Medicaid. Um since then, uh we've spent the last decade trying to build capacity in this community, trying to meet the needs in this community. Um, at this point in time, we have about 600 patients that receive weekly care at our clinic here in Salem. Um, and uh, we're currently looking at expanding that care um, in the community. So, we've already submitted permits and are working through that process um, with you guys and we appreciate the collaborative nature that we've had so far in working with that. Um, and I just wanted to address, I guess, the growing issue that we have. Um, and it's been spoken about a little bit tonight, but when it comes down to mental health, access to health care in this community, um, I just want to speak a little bit on that. Um, so I objectively as a provider that serves in eight counties now, um, but our my home is here, my kids are raised in this community, access to healthcare in this community is so much harder for patients or people to access care. Out of the data that we've reported, 33% of kids at our clinic don't have access to a primary care provider. That's shocking. That should not be happening in a community like ours. Um we our contract with Pacific Source Community Solutions was terminated on

Friday. Now there's 400 K 348 kids that do not have access to speech therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy. In those occupational therapy things, we work on things like behavior, social integration, mental health. Those are all things that fall into that realm. So when we talk about kids needing access to those kind of care, like if we can solve those problems when they're 3, four, 5 years old, then we're not dealing with them when they're homeless on the street. Let's invest in our community. Let's find ways to engage in our community that don't put kids out on the street a decade, two decades from now. Um, so I'd ask you guys, let's find ways to use our community and our voices in the community to really make an impact and find ways to hold our our contractors that we've hired to support the kids in our community accountable. Thank you guys for your time. I guess the last thing I would say in my 18 seconds is that families have been complaining like crazy and they have not been Pacific Source has not been making any credible attempts to help families in this community. Um there's going to be somebody else that comes up to talk, but all these were grievances that were filed by from patients to Pacific Source. And

thank you for your testimony, James Futrell and Kathleen Trepo.

Hello, my name is James and I live in Kaiser, Oregon at 543 Jude Avenue North. My son is Ezekiel and he has a rare brain deficiency that has rendered his motor skills and his speech impaired. For the past seven years, Ezekiel has gone to speech therapy and occupational therapy among other types of therapy at Sensible Speech. The progress that I have seen in my son in this time is comparable to none even the public school system. My son has gone to the public school system for three years prior to me and my wife making the decision to pull him out and do schooling ourselves at home due to the fact that there were improperly trained aids. The teachers were not properly certified, nor did were they given the resources to properly handle these types of children other than with drastic measures. Since we have taken him out of school and solely continued with therapy through Sensible Speech, his progress has gone through the roof. Without the help of the people at Sensible Speech Therapy, my son would not feed himself. He would not talk. He would not be able to hold a pencil nor use regular hand scissors. And I just would like to bring this to the attention of everybody on this council, in this city, in this state, and listening anywhere and everywhere. That we need to invest in the things that matter, which are our children. Not just my child, but the children of everybody that needs help. Whether they're poor, rich, black, brown, or white, everybody deserves a shot. And with that, I yield my time.

Thank you for your testimony. Kathleen Trepa and Angelina Bacon. Thank you very much, Kathleen Trepo, Ward 7. And I am once again here uh tonight to talk about the campaign signs. And so after the last meeting, I called the city staff to ascertain whether the city would enforce the regulations associated with campaign signs. um rather than just believing um as I was told that the city wouldn't enforce them and hasn't apparently for years which I which I don't understand. I fully expected to hear that the city didn't have the resources to enforce and I was going to I was prepared to talk about deputizing versus delegating authority. But instead, I was told uh very definitively that the city can't enforce any signs because the city has put a pause on enforcing any and all signs, which I really don't understand because uh I said, "Well, why not?" And I was told, well, uh the city made a decision that we can't enforce anything because of a discussion that occurred at the city council level. And I was at that council meeting and that council discussion revolved around business signage. So again, that was an administrative decision by the city, not any council um action. And uh I'm confused as to why the city cannot carve out political signage. And when I asked why can't you carve out political signage from that administrative decision, I was told that no, we can't do that because of some supposed overarching state law that prevents staff quote from making a distinction about content. Close quote. And I thought, are you kidding me? What kind of twisted legal logic is that? So then I looked online and I looked at campaign signs for all the candidates that are running, wondering, well maybe there's some signs out there that don't say for

council. And every candidate that's got a campaign sign says I'm so and so for Salem City Council or I'm so and so for mayor. So I don't understand why staff can't make that distinction easily. I don't see the risk. I don't see the problem. I'm not an attorney, but it seems to me rather broad brush. And yes, Mr. City Attorney, I am speaking to you. You never watch people who are at the podium speaking. You don't even listen to the council members. They have to clarify their questions and their comments for you to respond. So, in my last 40 seconds, I'd like to give a shout out to Kelly and Planning Services because then I got online so that I could start filing complaints about illegal campaign signs, which I'm unable to do because the system doesn't accept my email for some reason. And I spoke with Kelly three times. She was also So, Kelly's boss, if you're here, thank you very much. Wherever you might be, she was great. Um, I'm really disappointed. And the reason I'm so frustrated is that I just cannot stand the lack of respect that this agency has been shown through the years by candidates who feel like they don't have to follow the sign ordinance and don't have to file political signage. And so I will continue to check right away for those signs. And

sorry, your time is expired. Angelina Bacon. I'm Angelina Bacon. I hang around Paul Tigan's ward, stay at a friend's apartment so that I'm not out on the streets being threatened to be arrested by the cops as they just did again a couple weeks ago. So, I don't know how many of you are familiar with the Holy Bible, but here is Ephesians 6. Children, obey your parents in the Lord as his representatives, for this is just and right. Honor, esteem, and value as precious your father and your mother. This is the first commandment with a promise, that all may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth. Fathers, do not irritate and provoke your children to anger. Do not exasperate them to resentment, but rear them tenderly in the training and discipline and the counsel and admonition of the Lord. Servants, slaves, I know we hate that word. I do. Be obedient to those who are your physical masters, having respect for them and eager concern and eager concern to please them in singleness of motive and with all your heart as service to Christ himself. Not in the way of eye service as if they were watching you and only to please men, but as servants, slaves of Christ, doing the will of God heartily and with your whole soul, rendering service readily with goodwill as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that for whatever good anyone does, he will receive his reward from the Lord, whether he is slave or free. Your masters act on you masters. And sadly that does refer to you guys because you're a council and people look up to you. We hate that word though. Sorry. I shouldn't say we act on the same principle toward them and give

up threatening and using violent and abusive words like what you're calling your little thing you're doing knowing that he who is both their master and yours is in heaven and that there is no respect of persons no partiality with him. Jesus. In conclusion, be strong in the Lord. Be empowered through your union with him. Draw your strength from him, that strength which his boundless might provides. Put on God's whole armor, the armor of a heavy armed soldier which God supplies, that you may be able to successfully stand up against all the strategies and the deceits of the devil. For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood, contending only with physical opponents, but against the despatisms, against the powers, against the master spirits who are the world rulers of the present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly supernatural sphere. Therefore, put on God's complete armor. So, there's a lot I could say more, but obviously I don't have that much time left. And you guys are thankful for that. Just like they won't let me into a court of law so that it won't be on record. Jesus is real and he sees what you guys are doing. This is not the Bahigh faith.

Thank you for your testimony. Thank you for your testimony. If there's nothing further, we are adjourned.