Keizer council authorizes staff to solicit proposals for Little League park after users urge changes instead of new operator

Keizer City Council on Aug. 4 voted unanimously to allow city staff to solicit proposals to manage the Keizer Little League complex while incorporating council feedback into the RFP scope.

The decision followed public comment from Shannon Moore, president of Keizer Little League, who asked the council not to issue an RFP immediately. Moore said league leaders met with staff and park partners in July and concluded that revising the existing management contract and giving local users a role in redrafting obligations would be preferable to a full procurement. “Rather than moving forward with a new RFP process, clarifying and adding additional detail and information to the existing contract has the potential to alleviate the majority of the concerns and frustrations that currently exist,” Moore said.

Councilors pressed staff for clarifications about risks and next steps. City Manager Adam Brown told the council that the current management company — identified in the staff packet as For Love of the Game — is under the fourth year of a 10‑year contract and would continue to operate if no acceptable proposals are received. Brown said staff had already edited the draft scope to reflect issues raised in the July user meeting and would return a final RFP reflecting council comments.

Council discussion focused on three themes: protecting weekday youth-league play for Keizer residents, ensuring proposers show they will work with user groups and the parks board, and preserving the council’s discretion to cancel or reject solicitations. Councilor Marlene Clark and others urged that the RFP require proposers to demonstrate experience working with public advisory boards and to include the parks board in development of the facility’s five‑year capital improvement plan. Councilors also directed staff to include the parks liaison (Councilor Parsons) in the RFP process details.

Councilors discussed potential downsides: Moore and others warned an outside operator unfamiliar with local leagues could reduce field availability or increase costs for Keizer families. Staff and several councilors said an RFP would nonetheless provide useful information about available management models and funding approaches and could surface creative options for concessions, fee structures, or volunteer involvement. Adam Brown noted the RFP is a solicitation only and that the city may cancel it if proposals are unsatisfactory.

The council asked staff to incorporate several specific clarifications into the draft scope of services: require regular youth-league play Monday–Friday for Keizer-based leagues (McNary Youth Baseball and Keizer Little League were cited as the primary users), expect concession managers to obtain appropriate county food permits and comply with health rules, allow proposers to propose varied fee models (including fee waivers) but leave final fees to council approval, and work with the parks board and user groups on a five-year park improvement plan.

After discussion, Councilor Kohler moved and the council approved the motion to proceed with the RFP as amended, with a recorded result of 7-0 in favor.

The council also heard that staff will continue to meet with the existing operator to seek contractual compliance on maintenance, field lining and raking, scheduling and communications, and fee/volunteer guidance.

Ending: Staff will finalize the RFP language reflecting the council’s edits, include a process section naming the parks liaison and representation from the parks board in the review framework, and publish the solicitation. The existing management contract remains in force while the solicitation proceeds.