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Salem committee divided over Code Red outages as towing claims reach votes
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Summary
Salem City’s ordinance committee debated whether outages in the Code Red phone alert system warrant reimbursements for towed cars, splitting the panel on several close votes and prompting calls for better signage documentation and vendor liability checks.
Members of the Salem City Council committee on ordinances, license and legal affairs debated April 16 whether outages in the municipal Code Red phone‑notification system should shift liability for some towing and street‑sweeping penalties to the city.
The central dispute arose when legal counsel Beth Renard told the committee that several claimants said they received no Code Red alert on November 18 and that their vehicles were towed for street sweeping. "We rely on the signs, the website and Code Red," Renard said, noting that the city posts large orange signs at least one day in advance and that the insurer, Maya, investigates claims when notice of a defect or notice of an event is at issue.
Some councilors urged leniency for residents who had signed up for Code Red. "If they go in, they sign up for Code Red, they shouldn't have to go to the website just in case Code Red goes down," Councilor Hepworth said, asking the committee to "give the residents the benefit of the doubt" for a small number of claims. Others said the physical signs remain the primary public notice and warned that relying on Code Red alone is unreasonable. "I don't see how you can live on the street and ignore the signs and completely depend on Code Red," Councilor Presniewski said.
The committee split on motions tied to the outage. On at least one challenged item (claim 600), a motion to pay failed and a subsequent motion to deny prevailed by narrow margins; the transcript records denials carried on a few Code Red‑related items by 3–2 votes. Committee members asked legal staff to check contract language with the Code Red vendor about outages and liability.
Committee members also pressed operations staff for better documentation of posted signs (photo or video with timestamps) to reduce future disputes about when signage went up. Councilors said small reimbursements could be considered when outages are verified, but several members emphasized that the primary notification is the on‑street signage and that consistency is important across claims.
The committee took several votes around the Code Red claims and related towing items before moving on to other docketed matters. The committee’s actions leave open follow‑up items: staff will review the vendor agreement for downtime terms and consider adopting a standard procedure for documenting signage placement.
