At its March 6 meeting the Keizer Community Diversity Engagement Committee reviewed the city council’s recommended changes to its charter and approved several procedural items while asking council to consider one substantive adjustment: allowing the committee’s youth member to be a voting member.

The committee voted to maintain the current appointment process (members appointed by council) and to preserve staggered three-year terms for members so the committee avoids complete turnover at once. Chair Tammy Kuntz made a motion to keep staggered three-year appointments and to ask council to use the committee’s standardized interview framework when making appointments; the motion passed after a second and roll-call "ayes." The motion to request that council consider allowing a voting youth member was made and passed by the committee; the recommendation will be forwarded to the council for its consideration.

Committee members also approved a package of procedural materials to present to council: standardized interview questions and scoring rubrics intended to make appointments more transparent; an updated set of definitions for “diversity,” “inclusion,” “equity” and “justice”; and presenter instructions for proclamations and observance presentations that set a five-minute limit and require advance materials. A motion to adopt the interview questions and rubric (with a minor textual correction concerning “impartiality”) passed, and a separate motion to approve the presenter instructions passed.

On accessibility the committee discussed interpreter and captioning practices. City staff explained that sign-language interpreters and other translation or interpretation services are currently provided by request; Mayor Clark noted that televised city council meetings include closed captioning at no additional cost but that live in‑room sign-language interpretation would likely be an expense requiring budget approval. Tim (city staff) explained that production/translation budget lines exist but that arranging on-site sign-language interpreters would typically require advance notice and, for regular coverage, a budget allocation.

The committee also adjusted its observance calendar: members moved National Suicide Prevention Month’s proclamation to the August meeting to avoid multiple proclamations in a single September meeting and to allow organizations to present in August. The committee discussed follow-up steps — for example, asking the council to adopt the interview framework as a guidance tool for appointees, and to route recommendations and any requested budget changes (such as funding for regular sign-language interpretation) through normal council budget processes.

City staff will forward the committee’s motions, the finalized interview materials, the presenter instructions and the record of discussion to the Keizer City Council for its consideration.