New brochure on citizen participation is online

The new brochure "Opportunities for public participation in Jena" is online: jena.de/umfrage-broschuere-beteiligung

In keeping with the title, this brochure highlights the various forms of public participation, particularly in the City of Light. The brochure is intended to help raise awareness of the existing democratic structures and ways of participating in political decisions. After all, only those who are aware of the various opportunities for participation can make use of them.

The public's opinion is in demand

"The brochure on citizen participation is intended to inform all residents of Jena about the many opportunities for participation in our city. Your opinion is important to us! Over the next three months, you can therefore give us your thoughts on the brochure in a survey. The brochure will then be revised on the basis of these suggestions. We therefore look forward to your suggestions and active participation," emphasizes Christian Gerlitz, Mayor and Head of the Department for Urban Development and the Environment.

In addition to comprehensibility, respondents will also be asked whether the graphics are helpful and whether they feel fully informed after reading the brochure. The survey will run until the end of January 2024. The feedback received will be reviewed on an ongoing basis. An online list of suggestions that should definitely be implemented is expected to be updated on a weekly basis. This creates transparency and avoids multiple reports.

After the end of the survey, a comprehensive evaluation of the comments received will take place. Based on this, the brochure will then be revised before it is presented to the city council, printed and distributed free of charge.

Content and structure of the brochure

The brochure is divided into three sections. In addition to information, tips are also given on how to get involved in Jena. The texts are supplemented by a series of graphics for better illustration.

The first chapter deals with formal citizen participation. This is prescribed by law. This includes the direct-democratic citizens' petition and planning procedures in accordance with the Building Code. It also includes participation in youth welfare planning and sports development plans.

The second section deals with participation options under municipal law. Here, possibilities are shown as to how a concern can be brought to the attention of city politics or the city administration. For example, residents can submit questions to the city council and approach the political groups in the city council, the district councils and the district mayors directly.

The last section deals with informal participation, i.e. the opportunities that public authorities have created voluntarily, without legal requirements. In Jena, guidelines for informal citizen participation were developed in a broad participation process in 2017. Important elements of this include, for example, the advisory board for citizen participation and the citizens' budget. They are presented in this chapter along with other opportunities for participation.

Brochure commissioned by the city council

The brochure is based on a resolution passed by the Jena City Council on 08.12.2021. With the adopted draft resolution 21/0848 BV, the city administration was commissioned to inform citizens about opportunities for participation and co-determination in political decisions in a publication that is as low-threshold, understandable and transparent as possible.