The city of Keizer is seeking volunteers to serve on city committees.
Three people are needed for the Keizer Planning Commission, which meets on the third Tuesday every other month, and three for the Keizer Public Arts Commission, which meets on the second Wednesday of each month.
Youth liaisons are also wanted, including a new youth city councilor.
“This is our city. We all have a role to play in how we do city together, and we need people to participate and be a partner in this thing we call the city of Keizer,” said Mayor Cathy Clark.
Volunteers attend meetings at City Hall to discuss and vote on issues important to Keizer residents. The Planning Commission, for example, assists the council in deciding land use matters. Volunteers on the committee voice opinions and cast votes on development and future growth.
Anyone interested in applying for a position can pick up an application at Keizer City Hall. Applications are available online on the city’s website.
Applications are due by Tuesday, July 29, and candidates will be interviewed on Thursday, Aug. 14.
Matt Lawyer, a policy analyst for Marion County, serves as chair for the Planning Commission and Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. A volunteer since 2016, he recommends it.
“It gives you a peek into how efficiently Keizer runs,” Lawyer said. “And, I think more importantly, it gives people the opportunity to be part of how our city functions.”
Lawyer said he feels like he has made a significant impact during his nine years as a volunteer. He led the construction project for the Big Toy Playground at Keizer Rapids Park in 2016.
Years later, he helped revamp Keizer’s fee system for its parks, providing more money for the city’s budget.
“Because the community responded so positively to the idea of needing to take care of what we had, we basically tripled the parks budget,” he said.
Last year, he organized hundreds of volunteers to revamp Wallace House Park. He’s currently leading a project to build a memorial at Private Ryan J. Hill Memorial Park, which will honor deceased military servicemen.
“It’s not about me, it’s not about my work. It’s about coming together as a community and getting people investing in doing work together,” he said.
Tammy Saldivar is the vice president of the Northwest Keizer Neighborhood Association and spent three years as chair of the Traffic Safety Bikeways Pedestrian Committee. Her term ended this year.
She said people should volunteer “to be more aware of what’s happening in our community. It’s a great place to just hear people and what they are concerned with.”
During her time as chair, the traffic committee overhauled Keizer’s data infrastructure regarding roads and bikeways.
Clark said Saldivar helped lead the city through a new neighborhood traffic management program that was “a huge undertaking,” the mayor said.
Saldivar, formerly with the Oregon Department of Transportation, helped craft the 15-page program, which guides councilors in addressing traffic concerns.
“I really enjoyed being able to lead the team to make the changes that we did,” she said.
Youth liaison positions are open for most city committees. Applicants must be in high school and a Keizer resident.
Many are non-voting positions. The Community Diversity Engagement Committee, however, is accepting applications for a voting youth liaison position.
Lawyer highlighted the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board’s youth liaison as exemplary. Liam Stitt is a vigilant inspector of Keizer’s parks, biking around each month for examinations.
“He’s got a real sense for this work. He gets in there and asks questions and actually encourages some of his friends and classmates at school to do the same stuff,” Lawyer said.
“That young man has absolutely redefined the position. He has worked tirelessly to gather information, to bring back reports, to bring ideas to the parks board,” the mayor said.
Youth liaisons generally serve from Sept. 1 1 through May 30.
News tip? Contact reporter Riley Ellis: [email protected].
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