Salem council votes to centralize city-owned and leased property records

Salem City Council on April 14 voted unanimously to direct city staff to create a centralized real estate portfolio listing all properties the city owns or leases.

Councilors said the portfolio will give staff and elected officials a single reference during the current budget season and help the city identify underused assets or opportunities for savings. "I move to direct city staff to create a real estate portfolio of all owned and leased land," Councillor Matthews said when she introduced the motion.

The motion grew out of research by Councilor Matthews and others showing that property records are currently fragmented across departments. Matthews said parks, public works and other departments each maintain their own lists, and centralizing that information within the city's real estate group would provide a "bird's eye view" as the council evaluates budget options.

Several councilors asked about the scope and timeline. Councilor Brown asked whether the portfolio would include only current properties or historical transactions; Matthews said it would cover properties the city is currently "transactional with in any way," meaning properties the city owns and properties it leases. Councilor Nishioka voiced concern that compiling the information during an active budget season could impose significant staff time and potentially require additional resources for appraisals or valuations.

Brian Martin, the city's real estate manager, told the council that staff have already begun compiling data and that the work will be done using internal staff. "We are working on it now," Martin said. "We're looking at just using our own staff to do it. So it's really just their time." He added that a complete analysis including fair market values could take longer and that staff would provide updates as they build the inventory.

Because the item was added to the agenda after the normal deadline, the council first voted to suspend the rules to allow immediate consideration; that motion also passed by the council's roll call. After discussion, the council voted by roll call to adopt Matthews' motion. The final roll call on the motion recorded unanimous support; the motion passed.

Councilors said they expect the initial product to be a consolidated spreadsheet or database that will be expanded over time if appraisals or additional valuation work are required. Staff said they will prioritize the work and report back with progress; no outside consultant contract was authorized at the meeting.

The council made no binding decisions at the meeting about selling or changing the use of any specific properties. Councilors described the action as an organizational step intended to inform budget deliberations and longer-term property management decisions.

City staff indicated they will bring interim updates to council and that further analysis could be scheduled as part of the broader budget process in the coming weeks.