SALEM — The Salem City Council unanimously adopted the city’s 2026-2031 Strategic Plan Monday night, setting broad priorities for economic development, infrastructure, public safety, city services and governance.
The plan, presented by Assistant City Manager Courtney Knox Busch, was shaped in part by an April community survey that drew 620 responses in English and Spanish. Nearly 90% of respondents said the plan’s measures were well or somewhat well articulated.
“This work has been pretty amazing,” Knox Busch told the council. “I see strategic planning as a symbiotic process wherein we’re able to benefit from your perspectives, community perspectives, and employee perspectives.”
The framework organizes strategies around result areas including “Strong Diverse Economy,” “Safe and Reliable Infrastructure,” and “Good Governance,” with year-one priorities aligned to the approved budget. The plan includes outcome measures such as maintaining long-term financial sustainability and increasing resident trust in city services.
Councilor Paul Tigan praised the level of community engagement.
“I think it speaks to the engaged level of the community and the interest in the work that we’re doing,” he said. “This isn’t a Monday night by Monday night ad hoc approach to governance. It’s about engaging with our community and listening to them and building a responsive government.”
Homelessness was not a major focus of the strategic plan discussion, though Knox Busch said the city expects to address related performance measures in a separate homelessness status report.
Community feedback on the strategic plan emphasized maintaining core services while pursuing new initiatives, with respondents also raising affordability concerns and asking for more detailed reporting on outcomes. Knox Busch said measures and regular reporting would be “a big focus for the city in this coming year.”
The plan guides city operations through 2031, with annual work plans and community reports expected to provide ongoing accountability. Under the “Good Governance” result area, the plan targets maintaining financial sustainability and increasing resident trust, priorities Councilor Brown said represent progress from a year ago when public confidence was lower following budget challenges.
The homelessness status report is expected later this year, though no specific timeline was provided.
