The Salem City Council Wednesday night swore in Deputy Chief Tyler Rose as the city’s new police chief. Mayor Nic Farley noted how proud he was to swear in Rose.
“It’s been an honor to watch his leadership and his servant heart,” Farley said. “He works really hard not only for the department, but for the whole city. He’s really stepped up, and his leadership has been second to none. I’m really proud today to swear him in.”
Councilman Royce Bringwald was also sworn in as Mayor Pro-Tem to act as mayor in the event of Farley’s absence.
After considerable discussion the council approved a change in the excavation ordinance to require plumbers who excavate into the city’s water or sewer mains to get a permit and pay a $25 fee. Steve Purcell of T and S Plumbing questioned the need for change, noting the city already received notification through JULIE. But Public Works Director Travis Sanders says the city needs to be more involved.
“We need to inspect what’s happening on our sewer main,” Sanders said. “It could have been damaged three feet away. We need to see how it’s backfilled, because if they throw dirt back around the tab, then it’s going to cause a problem. We need to be involved with what’s happening on our property.”
Councilman Gerald Molenhour voted no. He didn’t see why the city needed to be checking the work of a bonded and insurance licensed plumber and also didn’t like the new fee which City Manager Lisa Peck said would help cover the city’s cost of providing the inspection.
The council awarded Kieffer Brothers Construction a $340,426 contract to replace 80 natural gas service lines and meters. Kieffer was the lowest of two bidders and was $100,000 under the engineer’s estimate.
The council agreed to provide a special use permit to allow construction of a solar farm on a 22-acre site on the Steve Brummel Farm at 1201 West Blair, if the Marion County Board concurs with the project. The solar site is outside the city limits, but still within the 1.5-mile area the city has zoning jurisdiction. The Salem Planning Commission voted 3-2 against issuing the special use permit.
