Salem council removes $41,667 police drone line item, rejects cut to Pioneer Village funding after prolonged budget debate

The Salem City Council on June 11 voted to remove a $41,667 line item funding a police “drones as first responder” program but declined, on a tied vote, to cut $200,000 earmarked for Pioneer Village work.

Councilor King moved to strike the drone line item as part of an effort to exercise the council’s line-item authority over the short-term capital improvement plan. "I move to strike out the line under police drones as a first responder in the amount of $41,667," he said, opening a debate that stretched through the budget discussion. The motion passed by roll-call, 8–2.

Supporters of the drone program — including councilors and public-safety proponents who spoke during the meeting — argued the devices are a public-safety tool that can be on scene faster than boats or full vehicle responses. Councilor Smith, who opposed the removal, said the technology could "get eyes on a situation" quickly and be used for rapid Narcan or AED delivery in isolated areas; she asked for a transparent, community-facing policy and dashboard if the council later revisits the item.

Opponents and other councilors said residents raised privacy and oversight concerns and urged the mayor and police chief to return with clearer community engagement and guardrails. Council members also noted that the chief and the mayor had signaled willingness to pull the item temporarily to allow a focused public conversation before re-requesting funds.

Separately, King also moved to strike a $200,000 Pioneer Village line item intended to cover project overages. Debate on that motion centered on whether the city should complete a long-running capital project (and avoid losing previous investments) or pause to reassess heritage, equity and climate-resilience priorities. Supporters cited long-term planning, prior investments and park access; opponents criticized the cost, time elapsed and asked whether funds would be better used for resident programming.

That motion resulted in a 5–5 tie and therefore failed, meaning the council retained the $200,000 line item in the CIP.

The council finished its budget work by adopting the FY2027 operating and enterprise budgets as amended, including multiple technical corrections made on the floor. Councilors said they expect additional public conversations about the drone request and the Pioneer Village project timeline and funding sources in coming weeks.

Votes at a glance: the council removed the drone line item (8–2) and failed to remove the Pioneer Village overage (5–5). The overall FY2027 operating budget and related enterprise funds were adopted by roll-call vote as recorded on the record.