On Monday evening, June 10th, the Salem City Council will vote on whether or not to collect the final year of the Economic Improvement District(EID) assessment on downtown property. The EID assessment is paid by downtown property owners to provide services such as First Wednesday, visitor maps, promotions, sidewalk cleanliness, hanging baskets, newsletters, holiday decorations, etc., throughout downtown.
In the fall of 2011, the City of Salem advertised for a downtown organization. After a lengthy process, the City awarded the contract to the Salem Downtown Partnership (SDP).
After the contract was awarded, the city asked the downtown property owners to renew the EID assessment for an additional 3 years with SDP being the contract provider. The EID was renewed and the SDP received it’s first quarter funding in February 2012.
One year later, at the February 11, 2013 City Council meeting, councilor Chuck Bennett made a motion to change the EID ordinance to allow the City to take control of the EID money.
Immediately after the February Council meeting, the City Manager terminated the Salem Downtown Partnership’s contract. There was no survey to assess how satisfied the downtown community was with the SDP and it’s programs, no violation of the contract, and no warning the city was in any way unhappy with the SDP. Needless to say, the board was stunned.
The SDP board hired a local attorney to help them better understand the city’s desire to terminate a seeming successful organization. The resulting report showed the most likely reason for the termination was the City wanted to eliminate any organized opposition to the installation of parking meters downtown. In fact, the City used the same tactic in 2005, when it terminated the Salem Downtown Association, just prior to implementing 2 hour parking downtown.
On Monday night, the City Council will vote whether or not to collect the final year of the 3 year renewal period. We cry foul play!
The EID was renewed with the understanding an independent organization, voted in by the downtown community, would be receiving the EID funds. But the City changed the language after the election to allow the City to take the money. This isn’t what the downtown property owners voted to support. This is a violation of public trust.
Now the City Manager has hand-selected a few individuals to determine which programs will continue to receive EID funding. The meeting dates/times are not posted, no agendas are available, and who serves on the committee is not publicly known.
Each year, before it drafted its annual budget, the SDP provided an annual survey to assess which programs were most valued. Everyone downtown was invited to participate in the survey. The survey helped guide which programs received funding. The final budget was mailed to all downtown tax payers and publicly approved by the board at the annual meeting.
All meeting dates, times and locations were posted on the SDP website prior to any meeting. Everyone was welcome, and encouraged, to participate in meetings. The names of current SDP board members, and the current budget, were always available on the SDP website.
Now we have a secret committee, hand selected and led by the City Manager, determining how our funds are to be spent. The City waited one year after the renewal vote to change the language in the ordinance so the city could take control of the money. Our City Councilor, Chuck Bennett, refused to intervene on behalf of the downtown.
We should ask City Council to stop collection of the EID assessment as of June 30, 2013. We no longer have any accountability for how the funds are spent, as was promised in the EID renewal information. There is no contract between the City and downtown tax-payers for responsible use of the funds, no budget approval method, no reporting required, and no accountability.
If you would like to send an email to city council, asking them to stop collecting the EID assessment as of June 2013, please use this email address:
The above address will deliver your comment to all 8 city councilors and the mayor. If you would like testify at the City Council meeting Monday night, show up at 6:30 to sign up to speak. To read the staff report on this issue click this link:
http://www.cityofsalem.net/CouncilMeetingAgenda/Documents/272/3.2a.pdf
Salem Cherry Pits 