The City of Fort Collins and project partners are excited to announce a Lottery Selection event for Fort Collins’ first Civic Assembly. The event will take place on Tuesday, March 18 at 5 p.m. at City Hall, 300 Laporte Ave. and will also be broadcast online via FCTV. The program will include a welcome and remarks by Mayor Jeni Arndt, who will also officiate the selection process. A regular meeting of City Council will commence following the selection event.

Civic Assemblies come together through an equitable and transparent process that starts with a democratic lottery. Invitations were sent to 15,000 randomly selected households across Fort Collins, each with a unique identifier specific to that address. Residents who received an invitation could apply online to express their interest in participating. The deadline to apply was March 1, 2025.

A pool is created from the applicants and open-source software algorithms generate thousands of potential Assemblies (each consisting of 20 individuals) that are representative of Fort Collins’ demographics—like a microcosm of the city. At the public lottery event, a ‘winning’ Assembly is randomly drawn. The tentative Assembly members are subsequently contacted to confirm their participation.

The Civic Assembly will convene over two weekends—April 12-13 and May 3-4—to dive into the issues, learn about the topics at hand, review input from the community and carefully consider options.

The Assembly works to produce recommendations based on their collaborative discussions, with the goal of suggesting outcomes that have broad community support. The Assembly’s recommendations will be presented to City Council on May 27, 2025, for further consideration and actions.

This is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the City of Fort Collins, Healthy Democracy, the Center for Public Deliberation, Local Policy Lab and the American Public Trust.

More information about the project is available online: fcgov.com/CivicAssembly

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Project partners:

Healthy Democracy

Healthy Democracy is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that works to elevate the voices of everyday people, bring new faces to public decision making, and design a more collaborative democracy together. A leading innovator in the field of deliberative democracy, Healthy Democracy designs and coordinates lottery selected processes that radically expand who participates in democracy and sets a new standard for collaborative politics.

healthydemocracy.org

Center for Public Deliberation

The Center for Public Deliberation (CPD) at Colorado State University is a nonprofit organization that advances public deliberation, helping communities and decision-makers engage in constructive, informed dialogue about complex issues. CPD provides resources, tools, and facilitation support to promote thoughtful discussions that lead to effective, community-driven solutions. By fostering inclusive, deliberative conversations, the Center enhances the quality of public decision-making across Colorado.

www.cpd.colostate.edu

The American Public Trust

The American Public Trust (APT) is a national nonprofit working to make democracy more responsive to the voices and wisdom of everyday people. APT partners with local and state governments to bring communities together to solve tough problems, find common ground, and create lasting benefits for everyone. Beyond individual projects, we help governments build these community-led approaches into their systems, making decision-making more inclusive, effective, and trusted for the long run.

americanpublictrust.org

Local Policy Lab

The Local Policy Lab is a nonprofit organization that supports local governments in their work to engage residents, strengthen democracy and improve civic engagement. By applying rigorous research and practical strategies, LPL helps local leaders tackle complex issues, improve public services, and enhance community well-being. With a focus on collaboration, transparency, and evidence-based approaches, the Local Policy Lab aims to build more resilient, equitable, and sustainable communities.

localpolicylab.org