Jump To:
A Civic Assembly is a new way Raleigh is engaging residents to plan for the city’s future. Here’s what you need to know.
What is a Civic Assembly?
A Civic Assembly is a group of randomly selected Raleigh residents who reflect the city’s community composition. They meet to learn, discuss, and make recommendations on key issues.
What is the topic of the Civic Assembly?
The assembly will make recommendations on Raleigh’s Next Comprehensive Plan. Specifically, the Civic Assembly will discuss and provide recommendations to answer the following questions:
Raleigh is in the process of improving bus service around the city. How should the next comprehensive plan help improve access to the new service? What should the neighborhoods served by frequent bus service look like?
How is it different from a board or commission?
Unlike Council-appointed boards, Civic Assemblies:
- Use a lottery to select participants.
- Aim for demographic representation.
- Focus on one issue at a time.
- Are not permanent or policy-making bodies.
Do assembly participants need to be experts?
No. Learning is a key part of the Civic Assembly. Participants hear from experts, city staff, and community voices to understand the issue from many angles. They also bring their own experiences and gain skills for working together to solve problems.
Who is running the Civic Assembly?
The City of Raleigh is partnering with the National Civic League, a nonpartisan organization founded over 125 years ago by President Theodore Roosevelt and others. The League helps governments improve public engagement and is training city staff, organizing expert presentations, and managing the lottery to select participants.
How are assembly participants selected?
Staff is working with the National Civic League to mail 10,000 invitations to Raleigh residents. The League uses a tool called Panelot to randomly select 40 residents who reflect Raleigh’s demographics.
Here’s how the process works:
- The city will mail letters to 10,000 random utility customers, inviting them to enter a civic lottery.
- The National Civic League will look at Raleigh’s demographics to determine what a representative panel would look like.
- Of the people who responded to the invitations, the National Civic will use a specialized online tool to randomly select 40 people who reflect the city’s demographic makeup.
Think of it as creating a snapshot of the community. The assembly will reflect the city’s population broadly, meaning you’ll see a mix of ages, people from different neighborhoods, and individuals from different backgrounds.
What is Panelot?
Panelot is a selection tool developed by researchers at Harvard, Cornell, and MIT. It ensures fairness and demographic balance in civic lotteries.
Why random selection?
Random selection helps include voices we don’t usually hear—people who are busy, skeptical, or unfamiliar with city processes. It’s a way to build trust and broaden participation.
Why 40 participants?
It’s large enough to reflect the community, but small enough for meaningful discussion.
Are assembly participants paid?
Yes, compensation helps make the Assembly inclusive and effective as it:
- Removes financial barriers to participation.
- Encourages different voices.
- Builds trust in the process.
- Encourages participation in the full process.
How will participants be paid?
Participants will receive a portion upfront to cover costs like lost wages or childcare, and the remainder after completing all meetings. Staff will take attendance at each meeting. It’s based on $25/hour for 40 hours. This matches the rate paid to Raleigh’s Community Connectors.
How can I get involved?
- Register for the assembly if you get an invitation in the mail.
- Follow along online. You will be able to watch and hear presentations from a wide variety of experts and can read all written materials and session summaries.
Is the Civic Assembly open to the public?
Only selected members will participate, but the process is open and transparent. Presentations will be streamed on the city’s YouTube channel, and all materials, meeting summaries, and schedules will be available online.
Will the city adopt all of the assembly’s recommendations?
Not necessarily. City officials will publicly explain which recommendations they plan to implement, which they won’t, and why. Some ideas may need more time or resources to consider. Updates will be shared with the assembly and the public.