Planners propose renaming governance chapter to emphasize civic participation; commissioners debate charter references and volunteerism policy

City planning staff proposed renaming the comprehensive plan chapter now titled “Local Governance and Citizenship” to “Local Government and Civic Participation” and outlined several line‑level edits intended to make the chapter more inclusive, clearer and more actionable.

Staff said the change moves the text away from the word “citizenship,” which planners and commissioners described as exclusionary, toward “civic participation” to explicitly include people who work in or visit Spokane as well as residents. Casey Downey explained the intent: the chapter “is talking about actually being involved in the process of city government” rather than defining legal status.

Planners described three principal edits: (1) streamline duplicative background language and redundant historic references; (2) separate and clarify a policy on respectful interactions between the public and city employees; and (3) add a new goal to support community participation (described in the packet as promoting awareness of opportunities, partnerships and volunteerism/active participation outside of city government).

Commissioners discussed how the plan should treat language that is also in the city charter. Mary Wincus noted the charter enumerates four roles for neighborhood councils and warned that summarizing or quoting only parts of the charter in the comprehensive plan could prompt challenges. Staff said their intent was to summarize rather than replicate charter text and that they would rework the wording to avoid apparent inconsistencies.

The proposed participation goal drew suggestions to broaden how the city shares opportunities—beyond an email or newsletter—to include partnerships with community‑based organizations and in‑person outreach. Commissioners also suggested avoiding the word “volunteerism” because it can carry civic‑service or community‑service connotations; alternatives offered included “active participation,” “partnerships” or language that conveys community ownership.

Staff noted the chapter will be streamlined across the whole plan, with more cross‑referencing and web links where appropriate, and said graphics and infographics will be redesigned. The subcommittee did not take a formal vote; members asked staff to return with refined wording that summarizes charter roles without selectively quoting the charter and that better defines how the plan supports community participation.

Next steps: staff will refine the chapter language and bring the edits to the Planning Commission and public draft process for further comment.