The Keizer Volunteer Coordinating Committee debated whether to retain and define the term "justice" in its interview questions and rubric and agreed to bring the matter to a joint session with the City Council on Dec. 5 for further discussion.

Committee members said the Volunteer Coordinating Committee (VCC) earlier reached a consensus that council direct appointments should remain made by individual councilors, but the VCC wants a public dialogue at the upcoming joint session and a subsequent return to the committee’s process review. The committee discussed whether a common set of interview questions and definitions would improve transparency and consistency in council-appointed membership.

Committee members argued for clearer, shorter definitions so councilors understand assessment criteria and to avoid political confusion around the term "justice." One member summarized community-sourced descriptions of "community justice," noting variants such as restorative, distributive, procedural and retributive justice, and suggested a concise, locally focused definition that highlights removing barriers to resources and equal opportunity. Councilor Reed questioned whether most definitions fall under law enforcement's remit and asked whether the committee was expanding beyond its purview. Other members replied that the committee's charge and the original council resolution already include justice language (Appendix A) and that the committee's role is to operationalize the resolution in appointment screening.

The committee settled on amended wording for the rubric question that asks applicants to describe “community engagement, diversity, equity, inclusion, and/or justice,” allowing applicants to address some or all elements rather than requiring all in a single response. Members tasked Carrie, Tammy and Stephanie with drafting short definitions for the four terms and asked Tim (staff) to consolidate those with a concise edit for presentation at the Dec. 5 joint session. Several members noted the VCC's last meeting on the topic was in October and that the City Council will appoint at least one new councilor on Dec. 2, which could affect future appointment dynamics.

The committee also voted to table a final decision on whether to change the appointment process until after the joint session; the transcript records the motion to table but does not identify the mover or a roll-call tally.