Over the next several months, Lexington residents will have a rare opportunity to help make local government more representative and responsive to our community. For the first time since 1998, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Charter — the document that outlines how local government is set up and the rules it has to follow — will undergo public review, marking a significant milestone for our city.
CivicLex, a local civic health organization, wants to hear your thoughts on what should change or stay the same in the Charter. Lexingtonians can weigh in by completing an online poll (civiclex.org/civic-assembly-get-involved) or reaching out to CivicLex directly (info@civiclex.org) for paper surveys.
Your responses will directly guide what parts of the Charter will be considered for changes at Lexington’s first-ever Civic Assembly, a process designed to bring everyday residents together and create meaningful conversation about how government can work better for everyone.
The Civic Assembly hopes to strengthen representation, trust and participation in local government. Hosted in March 2026 over several sessions, the assembly will feature 36 Lexington residents who will meet to learn, deliberate, and ultimately make recommendations for potential Charter updates that will be presented to the Urban County Council. Participants are compensated for their time and trained facilitators help guide conversations.
To select Assembly members, CivicLex will conduct a lottery process by mailing 10,000 postcards to randomly selected households across the city. These postcards will invite anyone 16 years or older in the home to apply to become a member of the Civic Assembly. From that applicant pool, final members will be chosen through a lottery to reflect the city’s demographics across age, political affiliation, race, income, geography and more.
Civic Assemblies have been used more than 700 times around the world and have proven successful for tackling complex issues, by bringing everyday residents into the decisions that shape our community. Lexington’s own Assembly aims to do the same, offering Lexingtonians the chance to rethink how residents and government collaborate, not just for this particular opportunity, but also for future generations.
While the participants for Lexington’s first Civic Assembly are chosen at random, taking the Charter survey is your chance to influence the process and the future of Lexington! Visit www.civiclex.org for more information.