Better Public Meetings Forum / Mock City Council Meeting

The Better Public Meetings Forum / mock city council meeting for City of Mountlake Terrace, held October 21, 2026, was facilitated by the National Civic League and Perfect City as part of a foundation-funded civic engagement research project. Facilitators shared findings from 15 interviews and a community survey, identifying strengths such as existing civic programs and close ties between residents and city government, alongside barriers including meeting formats, scheduling, limited dialogue during public comment, and residents’ difficulty seeing how their input affects outcomes.

Participants discussed ways to make civic engagement more inclusive and meaningful, including bringing feedback opportunities to community events and everyday gathering places, piloting more conversational meetings, documenting how public input is considered, and strengthening community ambassador programs. The facilitators said the discussion would inform a final research report and that the city could later explore pilot programs; no procurement decisions, contract awards, budget allocations, or spending-related votes were identified.