Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Scheduling topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Keizer work session: management firm proposes 'local-first' scheduling, user agreement and a 3 p.m. rain-decision protocol
Summary
The city's contracted sports-facilities manager outlined a scheduling plan that gives Keizer-based youth teams priority, will use a use-license/user agreement (not tenancy), and will formalize a written protocol (including a proposed 3:00 p.m. rainout decision) to reduce confusion about cancellations and field reservations.
Mike Higgins, the management company lead, told the Keizer City Council at a Jan. 12 work session that operators will codify field scheduling and communication processes to keep local youth organizations at the center of assignments. The company said it will create written booking protocols and a user agreement that the city’s legal team may review.
City staff and the manager said two relationships matter most: the local youth leagues that will have top scheduling priority and the tournament operators who bring weekend business. “We call it a use license agreement so that we’re not creating a tenancy,” Jack Adams, the company’s transition lead, said when describing how the agreement will set precise parameters for use.
Why it matters: Scheduling confusion and inconsistent rainout notices have been a source of frustration for families and volunteer-run leagues. Councilors pressed for clarity on who qualifies as a ‘local’ team and how to ensure Keizer kids can use fields even when nonlocal teams request slots.
Details and next steps: Staff said the pro forma and contract define ‘local’ as teams based within Keizer city limits; McNary Youth Baseball and Keizer Little League were named as local-priority organizations. The company proposed a simple operational rule — an agreed daily deadline for rain decisions so leagues can notify families — with 3:00 p.m. offered as a workable example. The operator also recommended a hierarchy for bookings: games first, practices second, then age-based prioritization when conflicts arise.
Council members raised implementation questions that the company and staff agreed to answer in follow-up materials. Mr. Brown, a city staff member, told council the operator will produce a user-agreement template and invited the city’s legal review. The company said it will memorialize scheduling policy language and return with a detailed user-license and recommended operational procedures.
What council asked for: Clear written protocols for reserving fields, a mechanism to notify families on cancellations, an accessible booking portal or group-notification tool, and a path to resolve disputes when nonlocal groups seek access. The manager committed to producing an agreement and recommended language for council review; staff will coordinate legal review and bring back a recommendation.
