Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Cdec Membership topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council narrows makeup of Diversity, Equity & Community committee; youth liaison to remain nonvoting
Summary
Keizer’s City Council voted March 3 to change how the Community Diversity and Engagement Committee (CDEC) is appointed and to keep the youth liaison as a nonvoting, one‑year position.
The Keizer City Council on March 3 directed staff to change how the Community Diversity and Engagement Committee is constituted and appointed, including a shift that ties most appointments to council liaisons rather than independent three-year staggered terms.
Councilors first agreed by consensus to change two council-appointed voting seats on the CDEC to a single nonvoting council liaison. The council then voted 6–1 to change the committee’s adult membership appointment process to match the Volunteer Coordinating Committee (VCC) model, meaning each councilor will appoint the adult member tied to their seat and appointments will align with the council biennium rather than fixed three-year rolling terms. Councilor Clark cast the lone no vote on that motion.
The council debated whether the committee’s youth member should be a voting member. A motion to make the youth liaison a voting member failed 4–3. Following that vote the council left the youth liaison as a nonvoting position; subsequent votes also kept the youth liaison’s term as the existing one-year appointment (a proposed move to two-year terms failed).
Council discussion emphasized three goals: (1) consistency with other volunteer appointment processes, (2) the ability for councilors to replace appointees during the biennium if necessary, and (3) preserving the youth voice on the committee while balancing consistency with other youth-liaison policies across city committees.
Council also asked staff to update the CDEC appendix in the city’s rules of procedure to move several descriptive items currently under “tasks” into the purpose paragraph and to forward the revised appendix back to council after the committee reviews it. Councilors agreed the mayor’s appointment should be treated like other council appointments. They also directed staff to send a list of suggested new names (from Councilor Cross) to the CDEC for discussion and to bring back the committee’s naming recommendation at the council’s next meeting.
Why this matters: the changes alter how community volunteers are selected and how long they serve, and they affect the degree of formal voting power reserved for youth on an advisory committee that advises city policy on inclusion and outreach.
What’s next: staff will prepare a revised resolution and appendix A language to bring back to council after the CDEC reviews recommended edits and name options at its March meeting.
Votes at council: the motion to shift adult appointments to a VCC-style appointment system passed 6–1 (Clark no); a separate motion to make the youth liaison a voting member failed 4–3; the youth liaison term remains one year.
