City Council meetings are held to allow Council to conduct business, make decisions in a public forum, and formulate policy. People who wish to comment in-person at these meetings can sign up on the rosters in the entryway before the meeting starts, which is usually at 6 p.m. Individual rosters will be provided for each comment period in each of three possible meetings, City Council, Salem Housing Authority and Salem Urban Renewal Agency. Comment periods may include:

• Item 2a, public comment on agenda items
• Item 8a, public comment on items not on the agenda
• Public hearings

Online meeting participation

Online meeting viewing and participation remains available. People who wish to view the meeting online can do so via live streams with translation to Spanish and American Sign Language on the City of Salem YouTube Channel.

To sign up to provide online comment or testimony at the next Salem City Council meeting, use the Sign Up to Comment form or using the blue button at left, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting. When you sign up, an email will be sent to you the afternoon of the meeting or before explaining how to log in to the online Zoom meeting and how to comment. 

Are you experiencing technical issues when trying to sign up? If so, please try clearing your browser cache: Select the Security menu from the three-dot menu at the browser's top right, from the options, select Privacy or Privacy and Security, then click on Clear Browsing Data. Try again to sign up. If that doesn't work, please contact the cityrecorder@cityofsalem.net.

Per Salem City Council Rule 15: We will be enforcing the time limits specified in the rule for online comments, which means we will sign up a maximum of 10 online commenters each on a first-come, first served basis for Agenda Items 2A and 8A in Salem Housing Authority, Salem Urban Renewal Agency and Salem City Council meetings. The online comment period will not exceed 30 minutes. These rules do not apply to public hearings or land use hearings.

Other ways to comment

You may also submit comments on City Council, Urban Renewal Agency, or Salem Housing Authority Commission meeting agenda items by email to cityrecorder@cityofsalem.net or you can submit paper copies at the City Recorder's office at the Civic Center, 555 Liberty St SE, Room 225.

Public Comment on agenda items (except for public hearings or land use issues) occurs early in the meeting after opening exercises. Testimony for a public hearing occurs after a staff presentation at the hearing. Public Comment on other than agenda items occurs near the end of the meeting. The Mayor will announce the time for public comment and invite individuals to address the City Council. You must begin by stating your name and street address or ward and you will have three minutes to speak. During meetings a countdown clock runs for each speaker.

If you are not commenting, you can view City Council meetings live in English, Spanish and American Sign Language from the City of Salem YouTube Channel. The meeting is also aired live on CC:Media Channel 21.

Meeting Schedule and Location

The Salem City Council hosts hybrid meetings regularly on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at 6:00 p.m. at the Salem Civic Center, City Council Chambers, 555 Liberty Way SE. The schedule for all Council meetings is noticed on the Council Meetings and Agendas Page.

Meeting Agenda and Procedures

Meeting agendas are typically available to the public by the Thursday before a regularly scheduled Council meeting. Both current and recent past agendas are available online. Topics scheduled for discussion at a Council meeting will appear on the agenda, within the following categories:

• Opening exercises: roll call, Pledge of Allegiance, ceremonial presentations, and proclamations
• Public comment on agenda items except public hearings or land use issues
• Consent calendar: meeting minutes, routine resolutions, and items reported by staff requiring Council action. All items are accepted and approved with one motion.
• Public hearings: public testimony and Council deliberation on matters under consideration by the Council. Public hearings will begin no later than 7:30 p.m.
• Special orders of business: items deferred from the consent calendar, matters of special importance to the Council, Mayor and Councilor initiated items, and formal presentations by city boards, commissions, or committees, or by outside agencies providing services
• Information reports: reports from staff on items that do not require Council action
• First and Second Reading of Ordinances: Title of ordinance read aloud, and generally no action is taken or testimony is considered during ordinance reading. Ordinances are local laws enacted by City Council.
• Public comment on items not on the agenda
• New business: action items brought forward by the Mayor or Councilors

City Council Rules govern procedures at City Council meetings. As described in these rules, each member of the Council has an opportunity to speak about a topic on the agenda. In order for the Council to make a decision, one Councilor must make a motion to act on a topic, a second Councilor must support the motion, and a majority of Councilors in attendance must vote in agreement for the motion to pass. If a majority of Councilors in attendance do not agree, the motion fails.

Other Council Meetings

Aside from regular meetings, the City Council also periodically conducts work sessions and executive sessions. A work session consists of an in-depth presentation by staff and Council discussion about one topic. The public is encouraged to attend work sessions, but there is no opportunity for public comment. Council typically defers making any substantive decision at a work session.

An executive session is not open to the public. State law permits the City Council, and other governing bodies to conduct executive sessions on specific categories of topics as provided by state law. Those topics include real estate matters, labor negotiations, litigation, or other records exempt from public review. The final decision on matters discussed in an executive session must occur in a public meeting of Council.

Reasonable Accommodation

Disability-related accommodations, including auxiliary aids or services, in order to participate in a City Council meeting, are available upon request. Sign language and interpreters for languages other than English are also available upon request. To request such an accommodation or interpretation, contact the City Recorder 48 hours prior to the City Council meeting.