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 metrics, (2) pilot small, pop-up outreach events at existing city gatherings, (3) convene listening sessions or town halls and (4) expand youth participation. Members reported nearly complete turnover on the committee since it was first formed and said the current two-year appointments make this a “starting point” for longer-term work.

Staff and committee members agreed on a draft schedule: refine survey and outreach questions within the committee, work with staff to finalize format and vendor selection, and then deploy the survey sometime between July and December with a goal of implementing committee outreach and school engagement beginning in September. “Our plan is to do it every other year,” said Mr. Brown, describing the city’s preferred cadence for a community survey to allow time for analysis and response.

Data sources and survey design

Committee members requested any existing event or survey data the city has from prior festivals and outreach; staff said the most recent usable dataset is from 2022 KeizerFest and agreed to provide it at the committee’s next regular meeting. City staff and legal counsel advised the committee on survey design and records issues: anonymity is possible, but the committee must ensure the chosen survey tool does not capture identifying metadata (for example, IP addresses) if the intent is to keep responses anonymous, and all city-collected data may be subject to public-record rules.

Legal and logistical constraints for meetings and outreach

The committee asked whether it could hold meetings or outreach off-site. City legal staff and operations staff described requirements: off-site meeting locations must be within Keizer city limits, meet ADA/accessibility standards and be properly noticed to the public. Staff said the city must be able to provide meeting support (minutes, staff attendance and, ideally, streaming or recording) and recommended at least a month’s lead time to arrange off-site logistics and technical requirements. Mr. Lindsey summarized the limits on informal gatherings: “If three of [seven] members get together and chat about committee business and someone asks what happened, now you technically created a meeting where you should have properly noticed it,” underscoring public-meeting and serial-meeting rules.

Outreach tactics discussed

Members proposed low-cost, high-contact outreach such as postcards, staffed tables at the summer concert series and neighborhood association meetings, and rotating the committee’s monthly meeting site to increase visibility. The Keizer Cultural Center and Southeast Keizer Community Center were mentioned as potential off-site venues; staff asked the committee to propose specific locations so staff can verify accessibility and recording capability.

Youth engagement and reporting

Committee members said boosting youth participation is a priority and discussed outreach with local schools and teachers as a recruitment pathway for youth liaisons. Councilors encouraged CDEC members to begin attending existing neighborhood and cultural events to build visibility immediately.

Council guidance and next steps

Councilors urged the committee to start with a few small, achievable projects to show near-term progress. Staff committed to provide prior KeizerFest data and to coordinate survey vendor options. The committee agreed to refine an action plan at its next meeting, aim to produce a deliverable action plan by August and begin implementation in September. Councilors and staff also proposed that CDEC rotate monthly council reporting among its members so the council receives regular updates.

Votes at a glance: none — the session was a work session and included no formal motions or votes.

Ending

City staff and council members said they expect the committee to return to council with a refined action plan and the draft survey questions. Staff noted the city’s FY25–26 budget includes funding for a citizen survey and will work with the committee on vendor selection and timing.