Salem police aims to hire more officers despite city’s funding woes

Last month, the Salem Reporter revealed that the city’s police chief, Trevor Womack, wants to hire 15 additional police officers and launch a new community policing program. As of early May, the department is facing nearly two dozen vacancies and has shifted resources in recent years in response to reduced staffing levels. City leaders are proposing to fund the new positions by raising monthly utility fees and adding a new payroll tax which would cost workers an average of $42 a month.The city council is considering bypassing voters to implement the payroll tax which would also be used to fund emergency services and help balance the city’s budget amid declining revenues. The city council must approve a new budget by July 1. Abbey McDonald covers the city for the Salem Reporter. She joins us to talk about her reporting on this issue.