Committee recommends FY2027 personnel and expenditure lines for council, clerk, elections and veterans

The Salem City Committee on Administration and Finance met May 21 in the council chamber to review FY2027 operating budgets and recommended approval of personnel and expenditure line items for four departments: City Council, City Clerk, Elections & Registrations, and Veteran Services.

City Clerk Eileen Simons outlined the City Council request, citing councilor stipends (ten councilors at 10% of the mayor’s salary and a $500 supplemental for the council president), an ongoing contracted minute-taker averaging about $18,000, increased printing and binding costs and a 3% software support increase. Councilor Turowski moved to recommend approval of the City Council personnel line ($196,965) and the expenditures line ($100,473); both motions were seconded and carried with the chair reporting four hands in favor. Chair Davis announced a City Council department total of $297,438.

Simons then reviewed the City Clerk office budget (two nonunion and three full-time union staff), an approved assistant salary increase, and overtime for vital records staff. After discussion about in-house versus external printing and how postage for mailed dog-license tags is handled (Building Department covers postage), the committee recommended the City Clerk personnel line ($398,003) and expenditures ($13,870); motions carried and the clerk department total was announced as $411,873.

On Elections & Registrations, Simons described the staffing needs for two upcoming state elections, including step increases, stipends for DPW setup, additional overtime and seasonal poll-worker costs. She noted that some election expenses are reimbursable after the election and that the voting system is being upgraded; the city will need 14 additional poll pads at roughly $750 each, a capital cost placed under IT. The committee recommended Elections personnel ($293,483) and expenditures ($61,050); those motions carried, and the elections department total was stated as $354,533.

Veteran Services Director Kim Emerling described outreach to neighborhood associations, the department’s fronted funding practice (about $400,000 budgeted to cover services while state reimbursement processes move through), and the volume of casework and transportation needs. Emerling said roughly 75% of certain benefit costs are reimbursed and that reimbursements flow to the general fund. The committee recommended Veteran Services personnel ($170,933) and expenditures ($410,800); those motions carried and the department total was given as $581,733.

The committee concluded business and adjourned. The clerk and department directors answered questions during the meeting about translation services, poll-worker recruitment, virtual-language services, poll pads and potential facility needs for veterans’ services. No formal public comment period was held; members encouraged residents to submit written comments to the council email provided in the meeting notice.

The committee’s votes were recorded by voice (chair noted ‘‘four hands including my own’’) rather than a roll-call of individual councilor votes. The meeting packet pages referenced by presenters were: City Council (page 285), City Clerk (page 292), Elections & Registrations (page 299) and Veteran Services (page 612).