Committee advances sewer, water and solid‑waste enterprise budgets; capital plan items flagged

The committee recommended multiple enterprise budgets for FY27 after presentations from DPS and engineering on June 3. For the sewer enterprise the committee recommended personnel of $571,349 and expenditures of $213,264; for the water enterprise the recommended personnel amount was $635,484 and expenditures $216,691. Each motion was moved by Council King, seconded by Council Flynn, and passed by recorded committee voice/hand votes.

Engineering and DPS staff discussed operational priorities tied to those enterprise funds: continuing preventative maintenance, enhancing leak detection (a two‑pronged program of citywide acoustic surveys plus targeted sensors), prioritizing transmission lines and selected water main replacements, and improving meter reading via MIU rollout and workflow changes to reduce estimated reads.

On wastewater surveillance, Carroll said Salem participated with Biobot for COVID wastewater monitoring (funded through DPH) and that Biobot has proposed continuing broader wastewater sampling at SCSD facilities at the city’s expense; the committee noted this as a continuing item for public health consideration.

Solid‑waste staff reported roughly 1,745 billed solid‑waste accounts and highlighted multi‑year progress: despite population growth Salem’s total tons of trash have fallen while diversion and recycling efforts continue. Councilors praised the city’s waste reduction coordinator and the Zero Waste Salem volunteer program.

Capital highlights noted during the meeting included the Willow A sewer relocation (present in the CIP and described as a regional environmental priority) and state‑led paving projects on major corridors. The meeting concluded with routine adjournment motions and no final council votes recorded at this session.