Transparency International responded to the Dnipro City Council's plans to alter the process for reviewing local initiatives.

TI Ukraine emphasized that city councils should safeguard local democracy tools rather than restrict them.

https://vidomo.media/rus/city-life/1732611449-v-transparency-international-otreagirovali-na-plany-gorsoveta-dnepra-izmenit-poryadok-rassmotreniya-mestnyh-initsiativ2024-11-27 07:07:50

The Dnipro City Council intends to approve a new regulation regarding the consideration of local initiatives. Transparency International Ukraine has identified several risks within it that hinder public engagement in decision-making. This is reported on the TI Ukraine website, as conveyed by "Vidomo".

The regulation on the procedure for submitting and reviewing local initiatives includes a number of issues that could significantly delay or completely freeze the opportunities for Dnipro residents to present public initiatives and participate in their consideration. The document specifies an excessive number of individuals required in the initiative group (from 250), to participate in offline voting (from 125), and complicates the procedure for submitting and approving such proposals.

"That is why the 'Transparent Cities' program of TI Ukraine calls on the Dnipro City Council to postpone the approval of this Regulation and revise it, taking into account the interests of the public."

The organization is convinced that in the updated version of the document, the authors should consider the following recommendations.

Reduce the number of members in the initiative group from 250 to 10 and simplify the initiation process. There is no justified need to involve an excessive number of citizens at the preparation stage. Instead of collecting personal signatures under a notification of intent to submit an initiative (125+ people), it is sufficient to notify the city council about the start of collecting signatures in support of the initiative. Examples include Lviv, Khmelnytskyi, and Zvyagel.
Transform the requirements for supporting such initiatives. Currently, the draft regulation states that 250 signatories must be present at the meeting and unanimously support the initiative. Therefore, it is necessary to allow for the collection of signatures without holding a meeting or online. Given the population of Dnipro, 700-800 signatures provided electronically should suffice. Example Kyiv.
Amend the charter of the territorial community of the city to harmonize regulatory acts and protect against further risky changes in the area. Currently, the Charter includes a provision stating that initiative groups must be formed from members of the territorial community numbering at least 250 people.
Allow initiative authors to interact with deputy commissions and speak during the consideration of issues at city council sessions. The current procedure lacks a direct opportunity for initiative authors to present their cases at council meetings, so this should be explicitly included in the document. It is also essential to ensure the consideration of civic initiatives with reports from their initiators in permanent deputy commissions. This will help amplify the voice of experts, enhance transparency in the process, and improve the chances of initiatives being adopted. Examples include Vinnytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Vasylkiv.
The city council should prepare forms and templates for documents, as well as organize a quality consulting process during the preparation and refinement of the draft decision. This way, citizens will be able to provide quality documents and implement the necessary changes for the community. Example Kyiv.