The main stages of charter updates and public participation in the process were discussed at the informational session for municipal officials “Updating Charters of Municipalities of Khmelnytskyi Oblast”. The event was held by the Regional Office of U-LEAD with Europe in Khmelnytskyi Oblast in partnership with Khmelnytskyi Development Agency of Khmelnytskyi City Council.
“Before, there was no requirement for a municipality to have a charter, but now it’s mandatory. There is not much time left, so we advise municipalities to start working on it now, as the task is extensive and takes a lot of effort,” said Yuliia Mazur, an Adviser on Municipal Governance and Development at the U-LEAD with Europe Programme in Khmelnytskyi Oblast.
The participants of the session learned about key changes to the legislation in terms of governance, mandatory requirements for charters and the procedure for discussing them with the public. The event spotlighted best practices, including the experience of the urban municipality of Khmelnytskyi.
The Acting Director of Khmelnytskyi Development Agency of Khmelnytskyi City Council, Andrii Moshchanets, explained how the municipality ensured that the process was transparent and effective: they held meetings, collected feedback from the public and set up outreach activities.
“For us, the charter is not simply a piece of formal legislation, but the foundation for cooperation between local self-government and the residents. We managed to develop a document that both follows the tradition of local self-government in Khmelnytskyi municipality and accounts for the pressing challenges of today. When drafting the charter, the local self-government and the public worked together: representatives of NGOs actively participated in the process and took on some of the tasks,” he said.
Points to consider when drafting or updating the charter:
- The charter should reflect local context: each municipality has its own needs, traditions and governance models, and the charter must take this into account.
- Combining national and local regulations: the laws of Ukraine establish the legal framework, and the charter enables setting forth rules that are specific to your municipality.
- Active public participation: involve residents, members of the city council and starostas in the development process so that the resulting instrument is a culmination of a collaborative effort.
In addition to complying with the applicable laws, updating the charter is an opportunity to create a modern, transparent and easy-to-understand document that helps the municipality grow. Planning, transparency of the process and active public participation enable laying the groundwork for efficient local self-government for the coming years.
