The basic standard for citizen involvement in Oregon is Statewide Planning Goal 1, Citizen Involvement.
The Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) adopted it on December 27, 1974,
and it took effect on January 1, 1975.
Goal 1 calls for each city and county in Oregon to "develop a citizen involvement
program that insures the opportunity for citizens to be involved in all phases of the
planning process." The goal cannot assure that every person who gets involved in
planning will get what he or she wants: no policy can promise that. But Goal 1 does
promise that every citizen will have an opportunity to participate in planning. Goal 1
can't guarantee the outcome of the game, but it does guarantee that everyone gets a chance
to play.
Like all of Oregon's planning goals, Goal 1 is mandatory: its provisions have the force
of law. The goal is accompanied by several "guidelines" that are optional. Local
governments may follow them, but they are not required to.
Unlike many of Oregon's statewide planning goals, Goal 1 is not supplemented by
administrative rules that explain or refine its policies. Provisions relating to citizen
involvement, however, are found in several statutes and rules on other topics, such as
periodic review and open public meetings. See Chapter 4 for
information on them.
A citizen involvement program (CIP) is a system for enabling citizens to participate in
the local planning process. The CIP may be a separate document, or it may be a chapter in
the comprehensive plan. Either way, the CIP is, in a legal sense, part of the local
comprehensive plan. Any changes to the CIP constitute a plan amendment, subject to the
state and local regulations that govern such amendments.
Every city and county in Oregon has adopted a citizen involvement program. All of those
programs were reviewed by the state's Citizen Involvement Advisory Committee (CIAC) and by
LCDC as a part of "acknowledgement" -- the process for state review and approval
of local plans in Oregon. That all took place in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Most
cities and counties have not amended their CIPs since they were acknowledged.
In effect, the CIP is a chart that describes the course for citizen involvement in a
particular city or county. It serves as a guide not only to local planners and elected
officials but also to state agencies. Goal 1 says that state agencies shall "make use
of existing local citizen involvement programs established by counties and cities."
Goal 1 requires that a citizen involvement program contain six "components."
The goal also describes certain steps that must be addressed in each of those components.
In effect, Goal 1 is a blueprint that shows how to build a citizen involvement program.
That blueprint is outlined on the next page. Local governments may (and often do) build
more elaborate programs than the blueprint calls for. But whether the local program is
simple or elaborate, it should include all of the basic elements required by Goal 1.
Component 1, Citizen Involvement -- Provide for widespread citizen involvement.
Component 2, Communication -- Assure effective two-way communications between
local officials and citizens.
Component 3, Citizen Influence -- Provide the opportunity for citizens to be involved in all phases of the planning process.
Component 4, Technical Information -- Assure that technical information is available in an understandable form.
Component 5, Feedback Mechanisms -- Assure that citizens get responses from policy makers.
Component 6, Financial Support -- Ensure adequate funding for the citizen involvement program.