Some city leaders would be surprised to see hundreds of residents volunteer to spend dozens of hours poring over their city’s charter.
“I was shocked by how willing these members of the public have been to get into the details of our charter,” Andrea Arnold, City Manager of Decatur, GA
The National Civic League recently helped the city complete a unique revision process in which a third of the members of the City Charter Review Commission were selected through sortition, a process that started with a civic lottery and led to a diverse set of commission members. From the hundreds of volunteers, the League helped select a demographically-balanced group of nine commission members that were added to the 20 residents appointed by the city from various community organizations.
“It’s been very cool,” said one of the lottery-selected members who became a commission co-chair. “You all empowered us to do what needed to get done. We live in an awesome city and this group represents that.”
The Decatur Charter Review Commission began its work in August 2025 at the request of the city’s elected body, the City Commission. Over the past five months, the commission met publicly to examine the charter section by section and recommend updates. The meetings were facilitated by League staff member, Derek Okubo, and included public input sessions as well as committee work sessions, reviewing all aspects of the city’s governmental structure, powers and duties of elected and appointed officials, and how decisions are made.
What the Charter Review Looked At
Early meetings focused on the role of the charter itself and identifying the values they believed the charter should reflect. Common values included fairness, accountability, public involvement, environmental responsibility, and a welcoming community. Those ideas later shaped proposed updates to the charter’s preamble and public engagement language.
The Mayor Selection Debate
One of the most debated issues was how Decatur’s mayor should be selected. Currently, the mayor is chosen by the City Commission rather than elected directly by voters. The commission reviewed this system in depth, including hearing from residents during a virtual public meeting.
Views on this topic were mixed. Some participants argued that a directly elected mayor would be more democratic and visible, while others pointed to Decatur’s history of stable leadership and collaboration under the current system. After multiple discussions and votes, the commission was split with keeping the commission-selected mayor or moving to a directly elected mayor.
Because opinions remained divided, the commission decided not to force a single recommendation. Instead, it agreed to forward two versions of the charter language to the City Commission—one keeping the current system and one allowing for a directly elected mayor—and asked that state lawmakers consider authorizing a local referendum on the issue. Ultimately, the City Commission chose the directly elected mayor which will be put into place in 2027.
Public Engagement and Other Updates
The commission also focused on how the city engages residents in decision-making. Following the advice of the League’s Model City Charter, the commission recommended language to emphasize public engagement as a core responsibility of city government. The language highlights inclusion, transparency, collaboration with city schools, and regular evaluation of engagement efforts, while allowing flexibility in how those goals are met over time.
Other updates addressed ethics provisions, accessibility of public meetings and records, and modernization of outdated language. Throughout the process, the City Attorney provided guidance to ensure changes complied with Georgia law. Some ideas—such as ranked-choice voting or lowering the voting age for city elections—were ruled out because they are not allowed under current state law.
What Happens Next
In its final meetings, the Charter Review Commission completed a full redline of proposed changes and clearly documented areas where members disagreed. Rather than smoothing over differences, the commission chose to be transparent about them.
The revised charter and supporting materials were submitted to the City Commission in early December 2025. A total of sixty-six updates were recommended in the final red-line. On December 15, the City Commission adopted the recommendations, including the public engagement provisions. The process marks a significant step in updating Decatur’s governing document and reflects a broad, public effort to align the charter with today’s legal requirements and community expectations.
While many charter revision processes fail to gain the attention of local residents, the lottery process was an effective way of involving a diverse set of residents.
“This exceeded all of my expectations,” Arnold said to the Charter Commission at its final meeting. “The City Commissioners were blown away by your work. This was our own little Constitutional Convention. It made me proud to be your manager.”
The National Civic League is committed to promoting innovations in democracy that make decision-making more participatory, equitable, and effective. If you would like to talk to us about revising your city charter, contact us at [email protected].
