SALEM – Salem Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey recently delivered her State of the City address.

Fire department

The fire department saw a decrease in total calls in 2025, but an increase in medical calls. 

As part of her annual state of the city address, Dickey presented an overview of the fire department’s activity last year, which included 2,301 incidents, 53 (2.2%) less than the 2,354 it responded to in 2025. 

Despite that overall decline, the number of EMS calls slightly increased with a total of 1,572, five more (0.3%) than the 2024 total of 1,567 and continue to represent “nearly 70% of all incidents.” Of those calls 181 resulted in the patient being transported to the hospital by the fire department’s ambulance, 68 (60.18%) more than the 113 transported in 2024. 

Despite increased transfer volume, the department’s total billing revenue decreased by $8,400.87 to $66,511.45 from its 2024 total of $74,912.32. However, this decrease was attributed to delayed payments from insurance providers, which can take months to process, as the department employs a soft-billing system meaning that only the insurance provider is billed. As a result “many 2025 claims are still pending” and “revenue is expected to increase in 2026 as outstanding claims are paid.” 

The breakdown of non-EMS incidents reported in 2025, with the 2024 total in parenthesis, included: 39 (67) fires, 26 (33) of which were structure fires; 150 (135) hazardous conditions; 341 (359) service calls; 71 (93) good intent calls; 126 (130) false alarms; and two (three) severe weather calls. 

Despite continued efforts to secure grant funding, the department felt the impacts of “fewer grant cycles and delayed funding opportunities” last year, with $21,717.74 in grant and fee revenue, $27,791.16 less than the $49,508.90 it received in 2024. 

The department continued to provide mutual aid to departments in neighboring communities than it received in 2025, providing aid for 15 fires, and eight medical calls, while receiving aid for three fires, and five medical calls.

Health department

The health department issued more than 1,200 birth and death certificates in 2025. 

Dickey said that the health department issued a total of 1,295 birth certificates and 1,244 death certificates in 2025. She said that the number of death certificates issued is expected to increase in 2026 as the department can now issue death certificates for people who passed anywhere in the state rather than just within city limits. 

In 2025, 186 cases of communicable diseases and 143 deaths were reported in the city. The leading cause of death were heart conditions followed by respiratory issues, then cancer. The department also had 212 office visits and administered 374 vaccines. 

The department also saw several personnel changes following the resignation of Health Commissioner Kayla Crowl from the department in December. Crowl was succeeded by Director of Nursing Chelsea Clark, who will serve as both Health Commissioner and Director of Nursing. Deputy Registrar and Public Health Nurse. Jodi Snyder was promoted to Accreditation Co-Ordinator, and Debra Clark was hired to fill the vacant Deputy Registrar Position. 

The department also hired Charles Weatherly as sanitarian-in-training to partially replace Environmental Health Director Alan Master, who also resigned in 2025, while Crowl took a contracted position as Registered Sanitarian to oversee Weatherly’s training. The department also welcomed a new face on the health board as Barb Stamp succeeded Bill Wilkins, who resigned due to a family emergency after more than 10 years of dedicated service. 

Last year also saw the housing department, which had been operating under the health department, instead placed under the oversight of city hall. The Housing Department welcomed a new face with the hire of full-time Housing Inspector Richard Snyder. Snyder and part-time Housing Inspector Jarrod Richter completed all the department’s backlogged inspections and remain up to date on inspection throughout 2025. 

The department’s fee schedule was updated to more accurately reflect its inspection costs in 2025 with the occupancy license fee increasing from $140 to $4,014; fines for uncut grass violations increasing from $760 to $1,950; while re-inspection fees decreased from $5,600 to $1,950. This increase in enforcement in conjunction with the fee changes drove an overall revenue increase for the department driven primarily by occupancy license fees which increased from $59,382 in 2024 to $109,359 in 2025.

Utilities department

The utilities department completed multiple large construction projects in 2025. 

Dickey presented an overview of the utilities department’s activity last year, which included the completion of phase three upgrades at the wastewater treatment plant. 

The project took approximately 2.5 years to complete with an estimated price tag of $18,500,000 and saw the installation and implementation of the PONDUS Thermal Hydrolysis Process. Developed in Europe, the PONDUS system is currently in use at “10 locations throughout Europe, and Salem is now the second location in the United States” to implement the system, preceded only by Kenosha, Wisconsin. The PONDUS system will allow the department to convert aerobic sludge to anaerobic sludge, increase methane gas production, and decrease sludge volume. 

The project also included: the installation of new dome covers on all three trickling filters and the full replacement of filter media on filter one; the installation of a new larger generator; the implementation of a new centrifuge which has increased the plants dry solid percentage to 30% since going online; and the complete rehab of both anaerobic digestors including a new floating cover for the primary digestor, and a complete restoration of the secondary digestor’s cover. 

Other projects completed in 2025 included: phase one of reservoir shoreline improvements at the East Cold Run Reservoir; the installation of a new access road to the west levee with approximately 2,000 feet of fencing and gates to secure it; and installed a new manhole in front of Sleepy Hollow, and repaired one in front Farmer’s National Bank which “should greatly reduce the hydrogen sulfide levels which had been creating some of the odor issues” reported in the area. 

The department also continued work on phase one improvements at the water treatment plant throughout 2025 which included: the installation of a new generator; widening and blacktopping the drive; the installation of new drainage lines, storm sewer, conduit runs, and underground piping; the construction of a new electrical building; and the formation and pouring of a new sludge tank. 

The department also began the design engineering process for a project to replace a section of the water line on South Ellsworth Avenue ahead of the upcoming paving project planned for 2026. Other waterline projects expected in 2026 and 2027 include the replacement of roughly $4,500 feet of waterline on Benton Road, and the installation of a new 12-inch line extension from Pershing Street to Edgewood Drive which will eliminate six existing dead-end lines. 

In addition to facility and system improvements, 2025 also saw the hire of Trent Newburn at the water treatment plant. Several department employees also completed new certifications including: Assistant Superintendent Chad Hess, Scott Brown, and Terry Jackson who earned their water reclamation class three certifications; and George Moser and Zach Vanhorn who earned their water supply class two certifications.

Parks department

The parks department secured over $200,000 in external funding in 2025.

Dickey said the parks department secured $214,600 in external funding in 2025 for renovations and improvements around the parks at no cost to taxpayers. 

That total includes both grant funding and donations made to the department including: a $3,500 stiped from the Ohio Goes to the Movies program; a $49,500 Ohio Department of Natural Resources Naturworks Grant; a $50,000 Baseball Field Grant; a $21,000 AED grant; a $5,000 Keep Ohio Beautiful grant; a $1,000 Martin Luther King Day of Service Grant; a $7,500 grant from Rawling Sports; a $12,500 grant from Rip It Sports; donations totaling $800 to repaint the Waterworth Memorial Park bandshell; a $600 donation from the Sunscreen for All program; the donation of a 0.35 acre property at 364 Sharp Avenue by the Columbiana County Parks District to be renovated into a small playground valued at $25,200; and the purchase of two new Ferris mowers by the city for $38,000.

With that funding the department completed multiple major renovations including complete rehabilitations for all five baseball and softball fields at Waterworth Memorial Park, and the installation of new roofs and siding for the pavilions at Centennial Park.

Last year also saw the parks commission appoint Kelli Pastore as the department’s new parks commissioner in a Feb. 2, 2025, special meeting. Prior to being named to the permanent position, Pastore had been serving as interim parks commissioner since September of 2024. The department also welcomed a new recreation supervisor last year as the commissioners voted unanimously to hire Rocco Crawford in a Sept. 24 meeting of the parks commission, filling the vacancy left by Pastore’s promotion.

The department saw its largest turnout to date for several of its most well-loved annual events last year including the Trail of Treats and costume contest, and the storybook trail and Art in the Park Festival with the Salem Public Library. The department also introduced several new events to its schedule including a new Winter Olympics in the parks, and the inaugural Ice Cream Run which had more than 200 participants. 

Last year also saw the Centennial Park Pool have its most profitable season in its history, with the amount of revenue it generated more than doubling in the last two years.