Salem council adopts ordinance and ballot resolution to continue 0.25% income-tax levy for street and storm infrastructure

Salem City Council on Jan. 7 passed an ordinance and approved a resolution to continue a one-quarter‑percent income‑tax levy that the council said will fund capital improvements to streets, alleys, sidewalks, curbs, parking lots and storm sewers.

The council read and adopted Ordinance 250107-01, citing Ohio Revised Code section 718.04, to authorize continuation of a 0.25% increase to the city income tax effective Jan. 1, 2026 for a five‑year period; the ordinance declares an emergency. Council also approved Resolution 250107-02 directing the Columbiana County Board of Elections to place the renewal question on the primary ballot on May 6, 2025.

The levy increase, if continued by voters, will raise the city’s total income‑tax rate to 1.25% during the five‑year period specified in the ordinance. Council members voted by roll call on both measures; no dissenting votes were recorded.

Councilman Evan Newman explained a last‑minute wording change to the ordinance’s Section 1, proposing that the text explicitly read as a “continuation of an existing 0.25 or quarter percent levy.” "So what we're going to propose is that in that section after the word providing, that we add for continuation of an existing 0.25 or quarter percent levy," Councilman Evan Newman said during the meeting. Councilmember Jeff Stockman seconded the proposed change and the amendment passed on a unanimous roll call.

Procedural motions to suspend council and statutory rules so the ordinances could be introduced and read for all three readings the same night were approved before the ordinances were read and enacted.

Votes at the meeting were recorded as unanimous in favor on each roll call. The motions and final votes were recorded in the meeting minutes and carried without recorded opposition.

The ordinance cites Ohio Revised Code section 718.04 as the legal authority for placing a municipal income‑tax levy question before voters. The resolution directs the Columbiana County Board of Elections to include the renewal question on the May 6, 2025 primary election ballot.

The council did not debate the levy’s budgetary breakdown in this meeting; the ordinance text specifies capital improvement expenditures generally for streets, alleys, sidewalks, curbs, parking lots and storm sewers. The council included an emergency clause that enables the ordinance to take effect immediately upon passage if other procedural requirements are met.

Next steps: the resolution sends the renewal question to the county election board for placement on the May 6, 2025 primary ballot; voter approval will be required for the measure to take effect.

Ordinance and resolution provenance: the ordinance text was read aloud by the clerk during the Jan. 7 meeting and recorded in the minutes; the resolution directing the county to place the question on the ballot was read and then adopted by roll call.