Salem, Oregon
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City Manager's Office
555 Liberty St. SE
Room 220
Salem, OR 97301
503-588-7272
Hours
Monday - Friday
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
City Operations Fee
City Operations Fee
In Oregon, Salem is among more than 50 cities that use an Operations Fee to help pay for essential city services. This fee is collected through utility bills and is based on the type of account — commercial, industrial, institutional, public, single-family residential, or multi-family residential units.
Passed by the City Council on June 12, 2023, the base fee will increase on July 1, 2023, to maintain and expand essential City services. The amended fee will be reflected on utility bills dated on or after August 1, 2023.
This is an incremental step toward addressing our community’s identified safety and shelter needs and is expected to generate an additional $5.13 million annually.
This fee increase will:
- Fund and expand Salem Outreach and Livability Services (SOS) team, which works with people experiencing homelessness and surrounding neighbors, including garbage removal and sanitation and hygiene efforts
- Increase code enforcement response team
- Increase Park Ranger capacity through more staffing
- Continue downtown parking security
- Add needed staff (HR, IT, Legal, Finance) to support front-line staff
Learn more about the City’s efforts to create a Safe Salem.
The base fees (effective July 1, 2023) are as follows:
Account Type |
Base Charge |
Monthly Fee |
Cost Per Day |
Rate Change |
Commercial |
Per Account |
$69.55 |
$2.32 |
$0.88 per day |
Industrial |
Per Account |
$69.55 |
$2.32 |
$0.88 per day |
Institutional |
Per Account |
$69.55 |
$2.32 |
$0.88 per day |
Public |
Per Account |
$69.55 |
$2.32 |
$0.88 per day |
Single-Family Residential* |
Per Account |
$14.43 |
$0.48 |
$0.18 per day |
Multi-Family Residential Units |
Per Unit, Per Account |
$11.54 |
$0.38 |
$0.15 per day |
* Low-income households with seniors ages 60+ or those living with disabilities may apply for the Utility Rate Relief Program to receive a monthly discount on wastewater services, streetlight fee, or City operations fee. Learn more here, or call Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency for more information or to apply at 503-588-9016, Monday-Friday, 8AM to 5PM.