Staff warns Salem faces multi‑hundred‑million shortfall in utility capital plan

Staff summarized major capital needs and said the scale of investments exceeds what any near-term rate path alone can cover. Presenters pointed to master-plan priorities (intake, transmission mains, resilience projects, and aging facilities such as Willow Lake) and said large projects often take 5–10 years to move from planning to construction.

Brian Martin, public works director, told the group: "The plan uh looked at the first five years of needs and that's roughly estimated between 300 and$400 million." He and staff cautioned that the 20-year total cited in the presentation was garbled in the transcript and will be refined in the next update; they emphasized prioritization and scheduling to keep projects affordable. Task force members supported reconvening more frequently to refine the CIP and align capital transfers with the revenue slope staff will model.