SALEM — City council approved the proposed 2027 city tax budget in its meeting Tuesday.

City Auditor Sal Salvino and City Councilman Jim Harrington both stressed that the annual tax budget was “more of a compliance document than a planning document,” and that the projections therein lean toward a worst-case scenario by design. Harrington, who chairs the city’s finance committee, said that as a result the city’s actual financial conditions are “less grim” than the tax budget would suggest and that “you would likely come to incorrect conclusions if you used it to inform planning decisions.”

However, Harrington also said that he feels that if Salem is unable to secure new revenue sources within the next three to four years, that city leaders may be “faced with some hard choices.”

The tax budget projects a total revenue of $7,505,934.53 in the city’s general fund for 2027, an increase from the $7,145,170.85 projected for 2026. However, it also projects a total expenditure from the general fund of $8,013,126.86, outstripping the projected revenue by $507,192.32.

During his report, Salvino also presented council with a six-month update on the general fund’s 2026 revenues and expenditures. Salvino said that as of June 30, general fund revenues were $4,060,399.03, while expenditures totaled $3,709,232.22, an increase of 2.6% and 2.8%, respectively, from the same time last year. Salvino said that the general fund’s ending cash balance on June 30 was $1,943,524.79, an increase of 12.6% from the ending cash balance of $1,726,392.07 on June 30, 2025.

Other financial matters included discussion of the Ohio Department of Transportation’s annual road salt contracts, which sees participating municipalities place an order for how many tons of salt they want to purchase and commit to purchasing a minimum of 80% of that total in April before prices are confirmed. City Service Safety Director Joe Cappuzzello said the price for Columbiana County had come in at approximately $151 per ton.

“Prices have been fairly stable for the time I’ve been here in the low $50s, up until last year, which was almost $59 [per ton]. We got our bid for this year, and that bid is now $151 per ton. It is up 258%,” Cappuzzello said. “We budgeted last year based on what we usually use, which was about $120,000. We have other options we’re looking into, but we cannot afford to buy the same salt we bought last year. It would be about $150,000 more than we had budgeted right now at that price.”

Cappuzzello said that the city could still opt out of the contract right now and has until Monday to determine if it will be participating in the ODOT salt contract or not. He said that he had been coordinating with the Columbiana County Engineer’s Office, as well as the cities of East Liverpool and Columbiana, and the villages of Leetonia and East Palestine to secure a potential alternative supplier, noting that one had been identified at a cost of roughly $110 to $112 per ton.

Cappuzzello also said that the list of streets for the 2026 Salem Street Paving Program had been finalized with 13 street set to be paved including: East Perry Street from South Broadway Avenue to South Lincoln Avenue; Oak Street from Southeast Boulevard to the dead end; Washington Avenue from Franklin Avenue to Maple Street; East Fourth Street from Franklin Avenue to Maple Street; Maple Street from South Union Avenue to Park Avenue; Buckeye Avenue from West Thirteenth Street to West Fourteenth Street; North Union Avenue from East State Street to East Third Street; West Pershing Street from the city limits to Dodge Drive; Cedar Ridge Road from Southeast Boulevard to Summit Street; Pershing Street from Howard Avenue to South Lincoln Avenue; West Euclid Avenue from the dead end to Granite Street; Edgewood Drive from Southeast Boulevard to the dead end; and Fisher Lane from Edgewood Drive to the dead end.

The city will also have a second paving project this year in partnership with ODOT which will see the section of State Street “from right around where the hospital is open past McDonald’s, all the way to Cunningham [Road]” and Ellsworth Avenue from State Street to Mullins Avenue. Cappuzzello said that between the two projects approximately $2.2 million of street paving will be completed this year.

During his report Utilities Superintendent Butch Donnalley said that the new water main on South Ellsworth Avenue had been fully installed and connected to the main line on one side and passed pressure and bacteria testing. He said that the remaining service and fire lines in the area were still being connected to the new water main and that the project was expected to be fully completed by the 17th. He also said that the Utilities Commission would be hosting its August meeting at the wastewater treatment plant following tours of the newly upgraded plant.

City Law Director Brooke Zellers, Councilmen Jeff Stockman, Mike weir, Ron Zellers, and Jayne Bricker, Harrington, and City Council President Evan Newman all commended the efforts of City Councilwoman and America 250 Liaison Sara Baer, and the entire America 250 Salem Committee to organize and run Salem’s ongoing semiquincentennial programming. They all championed both the quality and consistency of the events, with Zellers noting that many communities did not organize any America 250 events, and that the Salem committee “went above and beyond.”

“As a citizen and somebody who saw at least some of the work that went into all of that, I just want to thank you all for your efforts,” Zellers said.

Baer said that serving as America 250 Liaison and collaborating with the rest of the committee had been a pleasure, and that Salem’s America 250 programming wasn’t over yet. She said that the Brigade of the American Revolution will be camping at Waterworth Memorial Park near the band shell from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on July 18 and 19 and would be conduction educational demonstrations and historical re-enactments, and there will be a performance of the American Soldier, a one man play telling the story of the American soldier Revolution to present day, at the high school at 7 p.m. on July 25. Baer also said that the Salem Parks Department would be screening Shawshank Redemption at the bandshell on Aug. 1.

Bricker and Harrington also encouraged residents to attend the city’s firework show, which was rescheduled for Saturday at dusk due to inclement weather on July 3.

The meeting concluded with an executive session for the discussion of ongoing litigation with no action to follow.

The city council will meet next at 7 p.m. on July 21.