The Keizer Volunteer Coordinating Committee on Oct. 10 discussed whether appointments to the Community Diversity Engagement Committee should continue to be made by individual councilors or be vetted and voted on by the VCC. After an extended discussion about turnover, outreach and application procedures, the committee reached a consensus that council appointments should remain in place and voted to table a formal recommendation pending a joint work session with the city council and the CDC.

"I think what I heard is that you would prefer that the CDC members stay as appointed by the city councilor," Dawn Valen, chair of the Volunteer Coordinating Committee, said during the meeting. "So I'm seeing all of your heads nod. Yes. So to me, what I'm hearing is that is your consensus."

Committee members raised multiple concerns that shaped their position. Members said the CDC is a new committee and has experienced turnover, that a councilor’s direct appointment can help fill vacancies faster, and that outreach and orientation for prospective committee members need strengthening. "I feel like appointment is still a good thing," one member said, citing the need for continuity and a quicker process to fill vacancies.

Other members argued the CDC seeks to boost community engagement and diversity and had proposed an application and rubric to make appointments more transparent. Some committee members recommended clearer, simpler application language, an anonymous scoring mechanism for reviewers, and stronger outreach so more candidates would apply. "I think it would be helpful to consider that for committees if there is high turnover — the reasons why," a member said, urging exit surveys and better data to guide future decisions.

After discussion, the VCC formally voted to table any final recommendation and to bring the committee’s consensus to the upcoming joint work session involving the council, the CDC and the VCC. "So I'll move that we table the decision on this until after the next joint work session and more information is gathered regarding the nomination versus application process," a committee member said, and a second was recorded. The motion passed on voice vote.

The committee agreed it will attend the joint work session to continue dialogue; members asked staff to confirm the session date so all who wish to participate can attend. The VCC requested staff pull recent community-engagement survey data and any exit-survey information from departing committee members to inform the joint discussion.

The VCC also encouraged the CDC to continue outreach work — recruiting potential appointees and bringing them to council liaisons — while the joint work session addresses the appointment process.

Ending: The VCC left the matter open for the joint session, with staff directed to collect engagement data and with the committee’s informal consensus — to retain council appointments for the CDC — on the record ahead of the scheduled intergroup work session.