Getting into Loucks Auditorium at the Salem Public Library for city council meetings could involve security screenings after heightened tensions and profanity at public meetings.   Council meetings have gotten tense over the last couple of years, most recently during public discussions regardin g federal immigration enforcement, and the reappointment of a convicted murderer to a city police review board which drew national attention.   The new security measures will be a topic of discussion at the upcoming Salem City Council meeting on Tuesday, May 26.  Councilors will discuss the possibility of prohibiting firearms in the auditorium, using metal detectors and hiring security guards.  The equipment required would cost around $18,000, a staff report from City Attorney Dan Atchison said.  Should the city decide to implement the measures permanently, the beefed up security would cost the city around $21,000 annually for staffing, Atchison said.   Councilors will also discuss new rules on decorum to crack down on profanity-laced public comment, giving the mayor more authority to have someone removed from meetings.  Councilors will not vote on the new rules Tuesday night, and any final decisions on the matter would come at the council’s meeting on June 8, if council votes to move forward with the changes.  The new measures are a recommendation made by the city’s Council Rules Committee which consists of Salem Mayor Julie Hoy and city councilors Deanna Gwyn, Shane Matthews and Vanessa Nordyke.  The committee is tasked with updating rules and guidelines for city council meetings and the city council’s communications.  Beefed up security at city council meetings  What’s happening:  The new rules under consideration came out of meetings the rules committee held in January and February. The revisions include prohibiting profanity and banning sticks, poles and other possibly dangerous items into public meetings, Atchison said in the staff report.  If implemented, the new rules would give the mayor more authority to suspend public comment and would also expand the ability to remove someone from council meetings.  The committee recommended that the council vote to start the planning process to prohibit weapons at meetings, and to use metal detectors. What other rules could come?:  The committee also discussed enforcing an existing 30-minute limit for each public comment period during meetings, or increasing the overall limit for comment, the report said.   The committee also discussed reducing the amount of time each person has for public comment when large numbers of people sign up to speak, an authority already held by the mayor.  Get involved  How to watch Monday’s Salem City Council meeting When: 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 26 Where: In person at Loucks Auditorium, Salem Public Library (585 Liberty St. S.E.) Watch online: Livestreamed on YouTube in English and Spanish Public comment options In person: Members of the public can sign up to comment on any item on the council agenda. Remote comment: Sign up on the city’s website between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday Written comment: Email [email protected] before 5 p.m. Monday, or drop off a paper comment at the City Recorder’s Office, Civic Center (555 Liberty St. S.E., Room 225) Tax break for new 49-unit apartments What’s happening:  Councilors will consider granting a 10-year tax break to the developers of a new 49-unit apartment complex located at 590 Willow St. N.E., a staff report from Community Planning and Development Department Director Kristin Retherford said.  The report said rental rates for the apartments will range from $1,219 to $2,797 per month, and that the developers are committed to providing three apartments at a rental rate of 80% Annual Median Income.  What is the project?:  The development will consist of a 42,518 square foot building with 49 apartments and 1,500 square feet of commercial space, tentatively called “Creekside at Willow,” the report said.  The report said the project t will add seven parking spaces onsite.  Status update on Prevent, Treat and Enforce strategy What’s happening:  In March, the city unveiled a new drug prevention, treatment and enforcement initiative with hopes of addressing the impacts of substance use in the community.  On Tuesday, the council will get an update on current efforts which include working with Marion County Health and Human Services and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office on a soft launch of the initiative, a staff report from Assistant City Manager Courtney Knox Busch said.  The city is also actively engaging with other local organizations and the community including neighborhood associations, the Salem-Keizer School District and the Equity Partnership Roundtable, among others.  What comes next?:  City staff will continue its engagement efforts with community organizations, businesses, healthcare providers, treatment providers and law enforcement through the summer, the report said.  The information gathered through the engagement process will then be presented to council to jumpstart discussions on where the city is best positioned to address the matter.  Information gathered through this process will be brought back to council in September to support discussion on where the city is best positioned to address the situation. Contact reporter Joe Siess: [email protected].  SIGN UP: “Thank you for your fair, thorough, and fearless reporting.” Subscribing to Salem Reporter helps sustain in-depth, local reporting that Salem depends on. Invest in your community’s news. Subscribe today. The post City council to discuss adding security guards, metal detectors at council meetings  appeared first on Salem Reporter. ...read more read less