New Model City Charter Now Available

Helps Municipalities Address New Challenges

DENVER - For the first time since 1989 American cities have new guidance to help them update or revise their City Charters to address new community challenges.

Since 1900, thousands of municipalities have relied on the National Civic League's Model City Charter to shape the development and evolution of their own charters. In recognition of the growing complexities facing today's local governments, the 8th edition of the Model City Charter outlines how cities should be structured to achieve efficiency, effectiveness and equity.

"Many city charters are obsolete and require reform to promote efficient, equitable and responsive local government," said Christopher T. Gates, President of the National Civic League (NCL), a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that promotes citizen democracy. "In this age of changing demands and budget shortfalls, few municipalities can afford to ignore this problem."

The new Model will help local governments improve the problem-solving capacities of their communities. Better governance is the first step toward better communities and improved lives for millions of Americans.

"Few community leaders have experience in charter reform," Gates said. "Yet this complex task is paramount to the future of millions of people. "The new Model City Charter will ensure that local governments are capable of translating the voters' intentions into efficient administrative action."

At the request of municipal leaders across the nation, NCL undertook an inclusive two-year process to modernize the Charter. It's the result of the combined efforts of leading thinkers and practitioners in municipal administration. It redefines the roles of city managers, city council members and mayors. It also addresses many other issues, including initiatives, referendums and recalls.

American communities have changed drastically since the current model was last updated 14 years ago. Some of the modern issues that demand answers, include:

For more information about the 8th Edition of the Model City Charter, or to order a copy, contact the National Civic League at 1-800-864-8622 or ncl@ncl.org.

Founded in 1894, the National Civic League (NCL) is one of the leading proponents of citizen democracy in the United States. It is a nonprofit, nonpartisan 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to building community and promoting political reform at the local level. NCL accomplishes its mission through facilitating community processes and conducting and publishing research on political reform and community building. Through its All-America City Award program, NCL also celebrates community engagement efforts across the nation.

Theodore Roosevelt, Louis Brandeis, and Marshall Field were among NCL's founders. NCL was organized in response to widespread municipal government corruption to "raise the popular standards of political morality."

Additional Background

NCL's history of developing and advocating new models for local government goes back to the 19th Century. In 1897, the National Municipal League (NCL's original name) developed a "municipal program." In 1900, the League published its recommendations as A Model Municipal Program. Over the next century, the League has periodically reviewed and revised the Model as necessary.

In 1914, when the League and the Model City Charter endorsed the council-manager plan as its model form, fewer than 50 cities adopted the plan. Since then, more than 3,000 cities and towns have shifted to that form of government.

Whether through the civic recognition program, the All-America City Award, or the work it does on civic engagement and political reform, NCL is dedicated to the principle that all sectors of our society, the public, private, and nonprofit, must work together to address our common needs and build a thriving democracy. In the modern American community, local government not only provides services to the public, but also contributes the leadership that allows new models of governance to flourish. Understanding and supporting effective local government is a significant part of NCL's overall commitment to the goal of reinvigorating citizen democracy.