Getting Involved

There are many ways to make your voice heard at Cherriots

Since we are a public service organization of Salem-Keizer and the region, there are many ways to get involved at Cherriots and make your voice heard. Read the opportunities below and make a difference in your public transportation system! 

Advisory Committees

There are a number of committees that advise the Board of Directors on various issues. Requirements vary by committee, but there is usually an opening at any given time on one of the committees. To learn more about the committees and their calendars of open meetings, select one of the options below. Information on applying for a position on the committee can be found on the individual pages as well:

Board Meetings and Work Sessions

All Board meetings and work sessions are open to the public. The Board provides equal access to its meetings, as required by the ADA and Oregon Revised Statutes. For more information on meeting accessibility, as well as a calendar of upcoming meetings, visit the Public Notices and Meetings page.

​Public Comment at Board Meetings

At every regularly scheduled Board meeting, the public has an opportunity to speak or provide testimony.

​Those wanting to provide public comment or testimony must provide their name on a sign-up sheet which is available just before the start of the meeting. The Board will take public comments in the order on the sign-up sheet. Individual comments are limited to 2-3 minutes.

The Board also welcomes written comments via email or regular mail submitted in advance of the Board meeting. These comments will become part of the Board record. Submit public comments to publictestimony@cherriots.org or send mail to SAMTD Board of Directors, 555 Court Street NE, Suite 5230, Salem, Oregon 97301.

​Public Outreach Periods

Each fall, we conduct a needs assessment of the community and our riders. We hold various events to ask what people would like changed about our services, and we offer an online survey as well. Each winter, we take the feedback from the needs assessment and create a service proposal. We have another round of outreach to gain feedback on the service proposal from the public.

To find out when the next public outreach period is happening, visit our News page.