Committee votes to forward multicultural festival proposal to city council for consideration

The Keizer Community Engagement Committee voted Dec. 4 to forward a draft plan to the City Council that outlines a proposed one-day multicultural festival to be held on civic-center grounds.

A committee member presented the plan, which proposed using the gazebo and civic-center stage for entertainment, placing cultural vendors around the park edge, and locating food trucks in the Keizer Cultural Parking Lot "with their approval." The proposal emphasizes recruiting participants from Keizer and the Salem area, relying on sponsors and donations to offset costs, and minimizing the use of tax dollars; marketing support was proposed to be provided by the Keizer Times.

Before forwarding, the committee instructed staff to change first-person phrasing in the letter to collective wording — replacing "I" with "we" — and a member moved, and another seconded, a motion to send the revised proposal to the council. The committee voted in favor.

Committee materials list required infrastructure such as cones, picnic tables, barricades, porta‑potties with handwashing stations and garbage collection; organizers said they would seek donated services and local sponsorships for those items. The committee expects to draft a budget that both the city and committee deem acceptable before making further commitments.

Outcome: motion to forward the revised multicultural-event proposal to city council approved; the committee will provide the revised document to staff for placement on the council agenda.