Keizer as we know it would not exist without the people who volunteer their time, knowledge and expertise.
The motto of the city is Pride, Spirit and Volunteerism. The third word—volunteerism—is seen in every nook and cranny of the Keizer, especially in how the city operates.
The mayor and all members of the city council are volunteers—the seven members are paid neither a salary nor a stipend.
Members of the city’s various boards, commissions, committees and task forces are unpaid volunteers as well.
There is a specific process for being appointed to one of these bodies.
Announcements for vacancies that occur on any city committee is distributed to the media and posted on the City’s web page and at City Hall. Announcements will contain the name of the committee, a brief description of the duties of the committee, the date and time of the committee meetings, the number of vacancies that are available and the closing date to submit an application.
Interested applicants are sent a letter inviting them to attend the Volunteer Coordinating Committee meeting to give an oral presentation on their background and qualifications for the position they are seeking. The presentation is mandatory and is limited to five minutes.
Anyone wishing to address the Volunteer Coordinating Committee will be limited to five minutes for their testimony.
The Volunteer Coordinating Committee will ask questions of the applicants. Upon conclusion of the presentations, a member of the Volunteer Coordinating Committee may move to close the nominations and nominate all applicants or individual candidates for the positions available .
If a candidate receives a majority of the votes of the members present, the name of this candidate is then forwarded to the City Council for consideration.
When a position becomes vacant or a recommendation for appointment is not accepted by the City Council, it will be reopened for additional applications. If necessary, the Committee may use the option of suspending the rules to consider current applications.
For appointments to fill a mid-term vacancy of three months or less, the Volunteer Coordinating Committee will recommend the appointment for that period and the next consecutive term.
There are seven members of the Volunteer Coordinating Committee, each of whom is appointed by the city council and serve three year terms. Every January, as a new council session begins, the mayor and each councilor appoints or reappoints one member.
The committee reviews volunteer applications for recommendation and appointment to the boards, commissions and committees throughout the city.
The duties of the Volunteer Coordinating Committee include:
Identifying functions and activities where volunteers can help the city;
Solicit volunteers for special projects and activities within the city;
Match volunteers to needs within the city.
Terms for all committees and boards are three years; terms are staggered so there are always members with experience and knowledge.