Dnipro City Council is proposing to complicate the procedures for holding public hearings and submitting local initiatives, and to restrict young people’s participation in local affairs. These are the findings of Transparency International Ukraine’s Transparent Cities program, which analyzed the draft new Charter of the Dnipro City Territorial Community and its three annexes.

Overall, the document reflects updated legislation on local self-government and contains a number of positive provisions. These include the organization’s recommendations on mayoral reporting. However, some of the proposed rules are inconsistent with the law or create additional barriers for residents who want to influence the authorities’ decisions.

The public discussion of the draft Charter raised separate concerns because its procedure was violated. The city council initially gave residents only 9 days to prepare for the hearings, not the 30 days required by the current Charter. TI Ukraine called on the city council to postpone the hearings and allow a full discussion of the document. The council then moved them to November 2026.

What changes does the city council propose, and what risks do they pose?

A community charter sets out the rules for how residents interact with local authorities. It defines how they can initiate consideration of important issues, hold public hearings, submit local initiatives, and take part in decision-making.

A comparison of the current Charter with the new draft showed that some participation mechanisms could become less accessible to Dnipro residents:

• Local initiatives. Submitting a local initiative now requires an initiative group of at least 150 people. The new draft requires 750 signatures in support, a fivefold increase in the number of people who must be involved. 
• Public hearings. Initiating a hearing will require 500 signatures instead of 250. In addition, hearings initiated by residents may take place only if at least half of the initiative’s supporters register to attend, with a minimum of 250 people. If too few participants register, the hearing will not be held.
• Youth participation. The draft regulations on local initiatives and public hearings set the minimum age at 18. However, the Law of Ukraine on Local Self-Government in Ukraine guarantees residents the right to these forms of participation from the age of 14.
• Budget issues. The draft Charter bars residents from submitting budget issues to the city council through local initiatives. However, the law allows residents to initiate consideration of any issue within the powers of local self-government.
• Additional procedural requirements. Signatures in support of initiatives must be collected within 30 calendar days. Residents will also have to enter the series and number of their identity document on signature sheets. Analysts believe that, taken together, these requirements could seriously hinder residents’ exercise of their right to participate.

Another restriction concerns repeat public hearings. If the city council rejects residents’ proposals, a new hearing on the same issue may be held no earlier than one year later. This rule could prevent the community from raising important issues again, even when circumstances have changed or residents have refined their proposals.

Some of the proposed changes could either ease or hinder residents’ participation. For example, the draft replaces the current requirement of support from one-third of the residents of a given area with fixed numerical thresholds for initiating general meetings in different parts of the community. At the same time, it proposes that meetings at the level of a single building require the signatures of at least 50% of its registered residents. This threshold may be excessive for large apartment buildings, especially amid the full-scale war and the large number of IDPs who have both moved to Dnipro and left it.

What is positive about the draft?

Analysts note that the draft also contains progressive provisions, particularly on the mayor’s accountability.

Dnipro City Council took into account the Transparent Cities program’s recommendations on proper reporting. The draft provides for open meetings between the mayor and residents twice a year, allows several meetings to be held in different parts of the community, and, during the special period, permits online reporting with a live broadcast.

However, these well-designed provisions do not remove the need to revise those that could narrow opportunities for public participation.

What does Transparency International Ukraine recommend?

Based on its analysis, the Transparent Cities program recommends that Dnipro City Council: 

• ensure broad discussion of the draft Charter involving residents and civil society organizations;
• revise the provisions that are inconsistent with the law.

The analysts also call for reconsidering the signature thresholds for initiating public hearings and local initiatives. They urge the council to lift unjustified restrictions on youth participation, budget issues, and repeat hearings, and to simplify procedures that create additional barriers for residents.

A community charter should help residents influence local government decisions, not make such participation harder. That is why meaningful dialogue between the city council and the community is essential while the final version is prepared.

Transparency International Ukraine has already sent its recommendations to Dnipro City Council. The full analysis of the Charter is available here.