TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Councilor Micki Varney, Ward 8
SUBJECT:
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Motion from Councilor Micki Varney concerning the formation of a City Budget Efficiencies Committee.
Ward(s): All Wards
Councilor(s): All Councilors
Neighborhood(s): All Neighborhoods
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MOTION:
I move that the City of Salem form a City Budget Efficiencies Committee with a membership structure as requested by the Salem Chamber of Commerce in their December 11 letter to Council (attached), and that the Salem Chamber of Commerce be invoiced for all costs associated with maintaining and supporting this committee.
DISCUSSION:
1. The request to form this committee was sent to Salem city councilors in mid-December 2024, prior to our newly elected Council members and Mayor taking office. The new Council and Mayor should be making the decision on whether this committee should be formed. This motion provides the Council the opportunity to discuss formation of this committee and its associated costs.
2. Rule 14 of our Council Rules states: A Councilor who desires major policy, ordinance research, or other major staff assistance must first raise the issue at a regular meeting. If the request of staff requires more than one hour of staff time, the request shall be approved by the Council before staff time is utilized. Councilor requests that involve less than one hour staff time may be approved by the City Manager without Council action. (Resolutions 2004-77; 2024-5).
This request for the formation of a committee, which will require a redirection of staff and major staff assistance, should be raised at a regular Council meeting to be discussed by the current Council. Although this special request came from a private entity, not an individual Councilor, the principal should still apply for a request of this magnitude.
3. Staff time is not free. Our City is looking at nearly an $18 million deficit in our general fund for the upcoming fiscal year. Our Council members must be good stewards and mindful of taxpayer dollars. We already have a reduced staff workforce, we know that our employees are picking up the slack of missing employees, often doing the work of multiple positions to ensure that essential City services can continue to be provided. A redirection of staff to support the formation and operation of this committee will require other essential services to be put on the back burner.
We have raised the cost of fees for permits and services over the past couple years to include administrative costs associated with providing the service as a means of making them mostly cost neutral. Fulfilling this request will have associated administrative costs which will need to be covered.
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Attachments:
None