Keizer council adopts resolutions and ordinances on billing vendor, parade vendors, truancy and burning; authorizes settlement

The Keizer City Council approved a series of resolutions and ordinances addressing municipal services, public events and local code updates.

Key decisions

- Express Bill Pay vendor: The council adopted Resolution R-2025 exempting informal solicitation requirements and selecting Express Solutions, doing business as Express Bill Pay, as the vendor for integrated self-service payment processing and merchant services. Staff said Express Bill Pay integrates with the city’s Springbrook financial software, offers text-to-pay (a frequently requested feature), better back-end search tools and will reduce administrative time. Council moved and seconded the resolution during the public hearing; the motion passed and Mayor Clark, Councilor Duran and Councilor Parsons were excused. Cost comparisons were described as “comparable” to the current vendor, CivicPay; staff said Express Bill Pay was at the lower end of informal comparisons.

- Keizer Holiday Lights Parade: The council adopted a resolution temporarily suspending the code that prohibits street vendors and a separate resolution authorizing temporary uses subject to conditions for the Keizer Holiday Lights Parade. Staff reported fee waivers tied to the event total roughly $8,000$9,000 in waived fees and staff time. One councilor abstained from both votes; the motions passed with three councilors voting in favor, one abstention and three excused.

- Truancy ordinance amendment (Keizer Code —6 26.6): The council adopted Ordinance 2025 updating the city’s truancy code to align with state law. The amendments remove fines for minors in most cases and limit parent fines to circumstances where parents have made specified assurances and later failed to follow them, among other cleanups. The ordinance passed on second reading; Mayor Clark, Councilor Parsons and Councilor Duran were excused.

- Open-burning ordinance (Keizer Code Chapter 18, Article 3): The council adopted an ordinance that clarifies backyard burning rules and adds local tools to address burning of garbage or offensive materials in indoor wood stoves or fireplaces; it also clarifies the city’s ability to address recreational burning during red-flag and other fire-danger periods. The change is described as a housekeeping cleanup with additions to enable enforcement and education.

- Civil-forfeiture litigation: Following an executive session under the attorney-client privilege for potential litigation, the council authorized the city manager to settle civil-forfeiture litigation in accordance with legal advice provided in privileged session. Staff said settlement details are privileged until fully resolved and any material terms will be reported publicly when appropriate.

Votes and next steps

Council recorded outcomes in open session. Where staff characterized costs or benefits, they noted the items will be brought back for budget appropriation if funds are awarded (for example, the civil forfeiture settlement or vendor implementation costs if outside current budget). For the parade, staff will carry out the temporary-use approvals and record the waived fees. For Express Bill Pay, the finance department will proceed with implementation and require minor administrative setup; staff noted a likely reduction in staff time managing payments.

All actions discussed above were taken in public session after staff presentations and limited public testimony when applicable.