Library at the Budget Committee; Neighborhood Traffic Plan - Bits

Back in February at a formal Work Session, Council examined a study of staffing and funding levels of city service areas in comparison with the levels of a group of peer cities.

From the February work session

The study of course had a set of aims and a rhetorical shape. It was meant to buttress the case for more City staff and funding. It showed a lot of red for areas of concern with "understaffing" and "under-resourcing."

In a neat bit of advocacy judo, retired State Librarian Jim Scheppke took the benchmarking study as a template and applied it to Library staffing and funding in those same peer cities. He presented his findings in comment to the Budget Committee, which meets tonight on Wednesday the 19th.

Public Comment for April 19th

The undernourishment of our Library has been a consistent theme over the years, and this was a useful new angle on that, employing the City's own mode of analysis.

Will Council listen? Or get distracted by the appetites for Police and Fire?

Salem Reporter has more on the agenda, including some extended comment from Councilors, "Committee considers fees, taxes in effort to balance 2024 Salem budget."

Two new plans bundled

More than a little quietly, back in January the City apparently published a draft of the Neighborhood Traffic Management Plans. They split them into a Traffic Calming Plan and a Stop Sign Plan.

"consistent process" (yellow added)

The plans, though, aren't very strong plans, with any intent to implement some new default standard for improved safety and comfort. They are instead complaint-driven and propose to offer "a consistent process." Their implied model is that our current system is safe and basically works; we just need to find exceptions and make improvements on the margins. They are not willing to say our current system is broken or lead into any Vision Zero approach. They also do not seem very responsive to climate, to our need to reduce driving and our need to make non-auto travel delightful.

The flow charts and proceduralism look complicated and full of veto points, particularly for CATC and Neighborhood Associations. They don't exactly make it look easy to achieve traffic calming. They look like purposeful administrative sludge.

One flow chart of process

Another flow chart of process

The plan is tentatively scheduled for a Public Hearing at Council later this spring. It will be interesting to read and hear more on it, particularly from the Neighborhood Associations and those involved in writing the plan.