Busy Week for Salem Citizens

Lots to do this week in the public arena:

1) Tuesday, May 26 -- Urban hens: Public Hearing by Salem City Council on the city staff's proposal to let a tiny slice of Salem residents keep hens. Many people will rightfully be opposed to the highlighted items below, which have the effect of making hens something that only a tiny few of the wealthiest Salem residents could legally do.

There are a lot of items on the agenda. . . . However, since this is a public hearing, it can start no later than 7:30. This means they will skip agenda items, if necessary, and jump to the public hearing, and then go back to the missed items after the public hearing ends. Don't assume it will start at 7:30 though, because the Mayor can decide to hold the public hearing first, especially if there are a lot of people (with children) in the audience. She has done this before. The public hearing could be lengthy, plan on about 3 hours.

Recommended Action: Staff recommends that City Council direct staff to return with a resolution to initiate an amendment to SRC 119 to accommodate the keeping of chickens with the following provisions: (a) No roosters to be allowed. (b) No more than three hens allowed on a property. (c) Minimum lot size to be 10,000 square feet. (d) Chicken enclosures to be permitted in side and rear yards only, with a minimum setback of twenty (20) feet to any property line. (e) Chickens must remain in enclosure. (f) Chicken keeping as a Special Use in the Residential Single-family (RS) zone only. (g) Chickens, their feed and waste, must be kept in a sanitary condition, so as not to emit odors, attract rodents and flies, or endanger public health.

Come to City Hall Tuesday night to tell the Council that they need to direct staff to come up with a proposal that, at minimum, mimics the Forest Grove rules that their planning commission just adopted.

2) Wednesday, May 27 - Neighborhood Services: The Salem Land Use Network is going to hear about folding neighborhood services into community development as part of the Salem austerity budget. This is an open meeting. The public is invited to attend.

SALEM LAND USE NETWORK MEETING
Wednesday, May 27, 2009 6:00 pm
City Building, 555 Liberty Street SE, Room 305

1. Discussion of Restructuring of Neighborhood Services under the Community Development Division. Vickie Hardin Woods, Brady Rogers, and Glenn Gross will discuss changes that will result from the restructuring and ask for Land Use Chairpersons' input.

3) Thursday, May 28 -- Cherriots: Hearing on the upcoming service change (essentially discontinuing feeder lines to concentrate more-frequent service on the busiest routes; proposes a Monday-Friday system only, and only runs until 7 p.m.):

F.	PUBLIC HEARING SERVICE REDESIGN OPTIONS
			This is the time on the agenda designated for testimony by anyone on proposed options to implement a major service redesign. Options for consideration:
			*	Five-day service with 15-minute frequency on major corridors and 30-minute service on connectors and neighborhoods
			*	Six-day service with 30-minute and 1 hour frequency on weekdays; and hourly service on Saturdays on arterials only
		G.	DELIBERATION OF PUBLIC HEARING
			Board members will be asked to give final guidance to staff on the System Redesign based on the public comments they received

DATE: Thursday, May 28, 2009

TIME: 6:30 PM

PLACE: Senate Hearing Room, 555 Court St. NE, Salem, Oregon.