Marion County commissioners will consider more than $700,000 in tourism and housing grants when they meet Wednesday, Oct. 28, at the Senator Hearing Room in Salem.
The largest single item is a $300,000 tourism grant to Travel Salem, funded by Oregon Lottery dollars. The three-year agreement would pay $100,000 per year to support tourism marketing across Marion County, according to the board session agenda. Travel Salem's application, signed by Angie Villery, states the organization assisted more than 80,000 visitors at the Salem Area Visitors Center in 2024-25 and distributed 120,000 visitor guides annually.
A separate $150,000 grant would go to the North Marion Tourism Collaborative to carry out a marketing plan completed in October 2025. That grant, also lottery-funded, would pay $50,000 per year over three years and cover communities including Aurora, Silverton, Mt. Angel, Woodburn and Scotts Mills.
Both tourism grants are retroactive to July 1, 2026. The Board of Commissioners selected the recipients during a June 25 work session after a competitive application period in April.
On the housing side, commissioners will vote on $250,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) money for the City of Woodburn's Mill Creek Community Center at 190 Oak St. The funds would pay for commercial kitchen fixtures and event facility equipment at the recently reconstructed center, which also houses a public pool, recreation programs and a Meals on Wheels operation, according to the subrecipient agreement. The project's substantial completion target is May 30, 2027.
Two more housing-related amendments round out the consent calendar. One adds $245,143 in CDBG funds to the Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments' homeowner rehabilitation program, bringing that agreement to about $2.4 million and extending it through Aug. 1, 2028. The other adds $57,500 in federal HOME funds to DevNW's down payment assistance program for low-to-moderate income residents, raising that contract to $200,000.
All three housing items are funded by federal grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. County contract documents note no significant impact to the county's own budget.
The agenda also includes ratification of a collective bargaining agreement with the Marion County Oregon Nurses Association (ONA), estimated to cost an additional $259,881 over its two-year term through June 30, 2028. A $1.7 million amendment to the county's bulk fuel contract with Carson Oil Company would bring that purchase order to $8.2 million.
Every item sits on the consent calendar, meaning commissioners could approve them in a single vote.
The board session begins at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 555 Court St. NE in Salem. Residents can submit written testimony by emailing [email protected] at least 24 hours before the meeting.
