There’s a reason cities cling to this model which has little to do with genuine participation. Public meetings are risk management. They give agencies something to point to later: “The public had every opportunity to provide input,” or, “This design reflects what we heard through our engagement process.” The meeting was never meant to change the outcome. It was meant to protect the decision-maker. That’s not engagement. That’s preemptive deflection.
Hillsborough-Wade CAC Affordable Housing Forum – The Rent is Too Damn High – watch the video
We’re pleased to announce that the Central CAC has officially been reactivated as of this past week!
Saturday, April 25, was another turning point for the CACs in Raleigh. For the first time in nearly 10 years, the Raleigh Citizens Advisory Council (RCAC) gathered for a spring retreat, a milestone in our mission to restore and revitalize the partnership between residents and City Hall.
The choice is not between density everywhere anywhere and slow growth. The answer lies in responsible growth.
The Second Community Meeting to reactivate the South CAC will include election of officers. South Citizen Advisory Council Officer Nomination Form. Thursday March 5, 2026. 6pm at Biltmore Hills Community Center
The Citizen Engagement department is nothing but a bureaucracy to separate the citizens from the council. I think that as council members you would WANT to hear from the public. Is there any public accounting of the attendance at Community Engagement department events? If not, why not?
Community Watchdogs work together to keep Raleigh residents informed on important current issues. Citizen Advisory Councils (CACs), Raleigh Police Department (RPD) and Livable Raleigh are all working to educate the public on relevant issues.
The results are in and Raleigh is getting worse at keeping residents informed instead of better! We asked, do you think the City Council is doing enough to keep citizens involved and informed about Raleigh government or not? Positive responses to this question have steadily declined since we first asked in 2022.
When a developer asks for support from council, there were to be significant benefits to the community, but we the voters get only Astroturf, artwork, and a bench? Other cities have received ice skating rinks and, at a minimum, public bathrooms. The council needs to get developers to provide infrastructure and get significant benefits as it says in the plan. It seems easy for you to say no to voters, so try exercising some of that courage with the developers.