why engage citizens in participatory decision-making?
• To develop a richer information base. Local citizens know the local needs and issues best. • To educate both citizens and policy makers about the many dimensions of an issue or decision. • To allow discussion of many points of view on the issue and give each citizen a voice. • To make it easier to implement decision or policy easier. • To help build accountability for public officials and citizen. Public notice requirements By law, public officials must notify the public of community-level public meetings by posting notices before the meeting. All meetings must take place in locations accessible to the public. These legal safeguards ensure that citizens have an opportunity to speak up about local decisions before they go into effect. In spite of this public notice requirement, some municipal boards and committees still conduct policy-making without full disclosure to the public. In some instances, time constraints or lack of understanding of the public’s role in the decision-making p
