Mayor Chris Hoy is set to make a motion during Tuesday’s Salem City Council meeting to publicly censure councilors Julie Hoy and Deanna Gwyn for failing to recuse themselves in a land use hearing involving a developer who made donations to their campaigns.
In his motion, Chris Hoy accused the two councilors of violating the city charter by voting during an appeal of sidewalk regulations for a south Salem development.
Julie Hoy is the mayor-elect and will take office in January after defeating Chris Hoy in the primary election in May. The two are not related.
The motion will go up for vote on Tuesday. If passed in a simple majority, it would be the first public censure of a Salem city councilor since 2016.
Other Salem City Council agenda items
- A proclamation declaring November Youth Homelessness, Outreach, Prevention and Education (HOPE) Month and Nov. 14 “Light the Night” to raise awareness of runaway and homeless youth.
- A proclamation declaring Nov. 14 “Ruby Bridges Day.”
- A vote authorizing the third amendment to the purchase and sale agreement between the city and GreenLight-HomeFirst for the former Salem General Hospital site. The affordable housing development Gussie Belle Commons with 120 units is planned for the land on Center Street NE.
- Council review of a decision on approving a Conditional Use Permit for a motor vehicle service shop on 3393 Silverton Road NE.
- A vote on proposed fees and charges for water, wastewater and stormwater utility rates and the allocation of up to $400,000 for the Emergency Utility Assistance Program. The Water/Wastewater Task Force is recommending a 4.5% rate increase for water, wastewater and stormwater in 2025 and 2026.
- A motion from the mayor to adjust the salary range for the City Manager position to ensure that range is at least 5% higher than the top step of the Deputy City Manager classification and adjust the City Manager’s current salary by 7.27% to ensure it is higher than the highest paid job classification of the Executive Pay Plan.
- An information report on Salem’s cyanotoxin preparedness and the results of the drinking water treatment process during the 2024 algal season. Despite high cyanotoxin levels in raw river water entering the city’s Geren Island Water Treatment Facility this summer, Salem’s water has remained safe to drink due to $80-million in infrastructure invested in treatment since the 2018 water crisis.