Citizen participation is a key element to ensuring successful decision-making among local governments, international cooperation agencies, and civil society.  According to ICMA’s Six Principles of Effective Local Government, citizen participation is defined as “the right of citizens to influence local decisions and the promotion of active citizen involvement in local governance.”

Though citizen participation plays an important role in sustaining democratic processes, it should be noted that it is not a substitute for decision-making by municipal government.   Rather, active participation by citizens creates a forum in which all parties can learn about judgments affecting the community at large.  The City of Ashland, Oregon, notes that the major principles of citizen participation should result in:

• Trust between government and citizens;
• Informed judgments about City activities;
• Face-to-face deliberation;
• Decisions that reflect a thorough consideration of community issues and perspectives;
• Transparent and trackable decisions with stated accountabilities;
• Common understanding of issues and appreciation for complexity;
• Dialogue and deliberation of projects affecting the “public good.”

For more information about the City of Ashland’s Citizen Participation Plan and to learn more about their model for involving the public in the decision-making process, please click here.