Is your city a “City of Civility”? If so, we thank you for participating in this important initiative. If your city has not been designated a City of Civility, we encourage you to consider it.
As background, the EMBRACE Civility initiative, established earlier this year, encourages municipal elected officials to embrace their role in modeling open, free and vigorous debate while upholding the highest standards of civility, honesty and mutual respect.
Becoming a City of Civility involves adopting a civility resolution that aligns with the recommendations approved by the GMA Board of Directors and agreeing to the civility pledge based on nine pillars of civility.
In April, the initiative was expanded to include local government non-profit associations. There are now 104 Cities of Civility and four Organizations of Civility in the program.
The process has three steps a city should follow to become a “City of Civility”:
- Download the model Resolution on the GMA website.
- Adopt the Resolution at a Council Meeting.
- Email a scanned and signed copy of the Resolution to gcs@gacities.com.
After receiving the adopted Resolution, we will review it for compliance and notify the city. A press release template and electronic “City of Civility” badge will be provided to the city. The designation is renewable every two years.
Cities designated a City of Civility from June 1 to December 1, 2023, will receive a plaque and be recognized during the GMA Cities United Summit in January 2024 in Atlanta.