Keizer committee seeks data-driven outreach, set timeline for citywide survey and off-site meetings

Keizer — Members of the Keizer City Council and the newly reconstituted Community Diversity Engagement Committee (CDEC) met in a joint work session on June 9 to align on priorities for the coming year, including a city survey, neighborhood outreach, youth engagement and procedures for holding meetings outside City Hall.

The council adopted Resolution R2025-3558 in March to amend the CDEC charter and strengthen action plans for inclusive engagement, and committee members said they have met twice since most appointments were completed and are prioritizing data collection, community events and a youth engagement plan. “The intent was to get the group together again on a regular basis to kinda go over the progress, results of of what's been going on,” City staff liaison Mr. Wood told the council during the session.

Why it matters: Councilors and CDEC members said better data and small, consistent outreach efforts will let the committee measure progress and target underrepresented groups. Staff told the committee the city has budgeted a citizen survey in the FY25–26 budget and recommended a biennial cadence for statistically useful results.

Committee priorities and timeline

CDEC members described a short list of starting priorities they will work on over the next 12–24 months: (1) develop and field a targeted survey and…