Council adopts FY27 capital plan but strips $41,667 drone line item amid public concern; $200,000 Pioneer Village cut fails

After several hours of budget hearings June 11, the Salem City Council adopted the fiscal‑year 2027 capital and operating budget but made a prominent change: it voted to remove a $41,667 line item intended to support a “drones as first responders” program for the police department while leaving a $200,000 Pioneer Village building item in place.

Councilor King moved to strike both line items from the short‑term capital improvement plan, arguing the council has the authority to set budget priorities and should respond to community concerns. "We have the power to line item veto specific items from the short-term capital improvement plan," he said, pressing for more public discussion on the drone proposal.

Supporters of retaining the drone funding, including Councilor Smith and public‑safety supporters, urged caution about removing grant‑paired items and highlighted operational uses. Councilor Smith noted that the drone funding was paired with a grant and that the technology could accelerate on‑scene situational awareness in emergencies such as ferry incidents or when Narcan delivery times matter.

After a split procedural sequence (motions to split the question, debate and roll-call votes), the council approved the motion to remove the drone funding 8–2. The separate motion to remove $200,000 for the Pioneer Village building line item resulted in a 5–5 tie and therefore failed.

Councilors and department staff repeatedly urged that removing grant‑linked items requires caution because grants and grant timelines can be sensitive; opponents of removal asked that the administration present fuller community engagement and guardrails if the technology returns to the CIP. Several councillors asked the mayor and police chief to bring a fuller proposal, including community safeguards and resident-facing transparency measures, if they intend to reintroduce the item.

The council then adopted the CIP and operating budgets as amended, after correcting several typographical line‑items and voting by roll call across the general fund and enterprise funds.

What happens next: The mayor may choose to reintroduce the drone funding and/or provide additional materials; councilors asked for prompt follow-up committee discussion so policy details, privacy protections and grant dependencies can be aired publicly.