The Volunteer Coordinating Commission (VCC) of Keizer voted on multiple appointments and approved sending a proposal for exit and “stay” interviews for volunteer committee members to the Keizer City Council during its Nov. 14 meeting.

The commission moved and seconded recommendations to forward three candidates for the Parks Board — Joel Gust (position 7), Matt Lawyer (position 8) and Lisa Sejica (position 9) — to city council for approval; the motion passed with no recorded opposition. The commission also voted to forward the reappointment of David Dempster to the Traffic Safety, Bikeways and Pedestrian Committee (position 6). A separate opening for traffic committee seat 4 received a majority “no recommendation” and will be reopened for applications.

Why it matters: The VCC vets applicants and makes appointment recommendations to the council. Forwarding these names sends the selections to the City Council for final confirmation. The commission also approved sending a draft policy change — adding exit interviews for departing volunteers and developing “stay” interviews to understand why volunteers continue serving — to the council for consideration, which would create a new feedback loop the city could use to address volunteer retention and committee engagement.

Key votes and outcomes
- Approval of October minutes: motion and second recorded; one abstention was noted (Jane Herb), and the minutes were approved.
- Parks Board appointments (positions 7, 8, 9): Commission moved to skip interviews and recommend Joel Gust, Matt Lawyer and Lisa Sejica be forwarded to council; motion passed (no opposition recorded at the vote).
- Traffic Safety, Bikeways and Pedestrian Committee: David Dempster was nominated and will be forwarded to council for position 6; the commission read names as voting in favor and will forward his nomination. An application for another seat (seat 4 / listed applicant Leslie Ryswick) produced a majority “no recommendation,” so that seat will be reopened.
- Exit and stay interviews proposal (packet item #7): The commission voted to forward the proposed exit-interview questions to city council and ask whether the council wants exit interviews for all committee members and whether the VCC should develop stay‑interview questions for use halfway through terms. The motion passed; the item will be placed on the draft agenda for the Dec. 2 city council meeting for discussion.

Discussion highlights
- Bike, helmet and scooter safety: During interviews for the traffic committee opening, David Dempster — a longtime traffic‑committee volunteer — described the committee’s helmet distribution and bike-education work. He said volunteers purchase helmets (about $12–$14 each), fit them before distribution, and ask small donations (around $5) to help sustain the inventory the committee keeps in a city account paid for by donations. Dempster said the program has provided helmets to elementary-school students and at community bike‑education events and emphasized the committee’s hands‑on role in fitting helmets so they are effective.

- Motorized scooters and speeding: Dempster and others discussed a perceived increase in motorized scooters and their speeds. Dempster said he had not seen an increase in reported scooter‑related accidents in police accident reports and suggested that while some vehicles and motorized devices can be hard to detect with enforcement tools (radar), the larger recurring traffic issue remains automobile speed on streets such as Park Meadow. He noted that state guidance from the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has recently required cities to consider nonmotorized transportation (bikes, scooters, wheelchairs and walking) in planning, which the committee hopes will shift local planning away from an automobile-only focus.

- Exit and stay interviews: Commissioners discussed using both exit interviews for departing volunteers (including youth liaisons) and stay interviews for volunteers after roughly one year of service to learn what keeps volunteers engaged and what barriers they face. Commissioners and staff said the VCC should send the proposal to council first to confirm whether the council wants the citywide process before VCC invests further staff time. The VCC agreed to send the packet item to the council and to have members watch the council agenda so a VCC member can speak to the item on Dec. 2 if the council asks.

Next steps and context
- The exit/stay interview proposal will be placed on the draft agenda for the Dec. 2 city council meeting for discussion; the VCC asked for a volunteer to be available to speak to the council if needed.
- The forwarded appointment recommendations will appear on a future council agenda for confirmation.
- The traffic committee will reopen the one seat that received a majority “no recommendation” and continue recruiting applicants.

Ending note: Commissioners thanked outgoing or continuing volunteers and closed the meeting after completing appointments and the motion to forward interview proposals to the council.