Salem, Ore. – Do you want to know more about what improvements are on the City of Salem schedule for funding in the next five years and what they’ll mean to you? Check out the proposed Fiscal Year 2024 through 2028 Capital Improvement Plan interactive map to see what projects are scheduled in your neighborhood.
Public Involvement
On April 26, Salem’s Citizen Budget Committee heard about the proposed Capital Improvement Plan at their budget meeting. Informally known as the “CIP,” it is used to plan financing of city-wide improvements to major public assets. The improvement projects are based on City-adopted plans, goals, and policies. When each of these plans is created, public involvement is invited to better reflect the voices within our community. There is still time to provide input on the proposed Capital Improvement Plan currently under consideration. Please send your comments to udgetoffice@cityofsalem.net“>budgetoffice@cityofsalem.net and they will be shared with the Budget Committee at their meeting on May 3rd, or plan to attend in person.
Members of the public can also request new projects any time during the year by using the Capital Improvement Request Form.
Since more projects are always identified than funding is available, staff members prioritize and score some projects based on criteria outlined on Page 7 of the plan. In some cases, projects may be bumped up or down the list because of changing criteria. For example, if our community satisfaction survey shows an increase in community interest in completing a specific project or a weather crisis damages existing infrastructure, those changes may result in a higher priority in the CIP.
2024 Priority Projects
Projects starting in Fiscal Year 2024 cover a lot of ground:
- Improvements at our sewer plant, Willow Lake Wastewater Pollution Control Facility
- More fire hydrants, streetlights and traffic signal improvements
- Road sealing
- Improved street, bike, and pedestrian facilities at key intersections throughout the City of Salem
- Reservoir safety and other water system improvements
- Park acquisitions and improvements
- Cybersecurity and technology resilience
- Downtown parking structure maintenance
The proposed Capital Improvement Plan document organizes projects into large groups including community facilities, municipal facilities, transportation and utilities, then categorizes them by type of project, so individual projects are easier to find in this large list.
Project summaries make up most of the plan and contain quite a bit of useful information, including:
- A brief description
- Neighborhood location
- Expected funding sources
- Project spending by plan year
- Total estimated cost
Overall costs
Total project costs over the next five years are estimated at $444.2 million. Not all project costs are paid by City taxes. Program revenue, utility payments, fees, state and federal grants, private donations, bond funding, partner contributions, and urban renewal funds are other examples of sources. Often, City taxes or bond revenues are just the start. They help to attract other funding to a project, allowing us to do more than could be done with taxes alone.
As the budgeting process continues, the Budget Committee will consider submitting this plan to the Salem City Council for approval.
You’ll find more information about City projects online at www.cityofsalem.net/projects.
Fiscal Year 2024 through 2028 Capital Improvement Plan interactive map
###
