Building Trust and Transparency in Local Government Through Citizen Academies

Citizen (or community) academies are programs conducted by local governments to give community members insight into how the local government makes decisions, allocates resources, conducts outreach, upholds local regulations, and more. Participants in a community academy might:

• Meet with elected officials and learn about issues involving the governing body.
• Learn how the agency collaborates with other local governments.
• Visit the planning department and learn about zoning.
• Follow how the agency budget is tracked on a day-to-day basis.
• Tour an operational facility and meet with public works staff.

This blog will look at the purpose and components of a community academy and provide a few examples.

The Purpose of a Community Academy

Community academies increase local government transparency and accessibility and improve civic engagement. In discussing why Mountlake Terrace decide to debut the MLT Citizen Academy, city manager Jeff Niten said:

This is a great opportunity for people to learn about what our city does directly from our staff and to visit various city facilities. We hope the academy answers questions, improves people’s connection to the city and instills a desire to influence city policy or to serve the city as a volunteer.

These programs have also been known to build local community leaders, ambassadors, and volunteers. For example, completing the Kennewick Police Department’s 10-class Citizen Academy is a prerequisite to becoming a Citizens Helping in Police Services volunteer.

Components of a Local Community Academy

A community academy generally runs several weeks, with individual sessions offered once per week. Agency staff and elected officials typically teach sessions, but presenters can also include partner agencies. The curriculum can be broad, with sessions covering all aspects of local government, or it can focus on a specific department, such as law enforcement (for example, see the Olympia Police Department’s Community Academy).

Most sessions are held in a local government building but some may involve a field trip, such as to a public works site. Facility visits can give attendees an insider’s view on how a specific department operates and the chance to speak directly to staff.

The agency sponsoring the community academy typically opens registration to the public but caps attendance at a set amount. Attendees are usually required to be a certain age, such as 16-18 or older, but beyond that, there are few restrictions on applying.

There is generally no fee to attend, and the sponsoring agency may also offer snacks and/or refreshments during sessions. Some academies expect attendees to meet certain requirements (e.g., attendance) and will offer acknowledgement of program completion, such as a certificate.

Local Government 101 Community Academies in Washington

While not an exhaustive list, here area few community academies being offered this year.

Washougal

This year marks the first-ever Washougal Citizen Academy. This free, six-week program will be open to 15 total participants. Evening sessions will be held weekly at city hall. City staff and elected officials will deliver presentations on general government, finance, and budget; community development; public works; public safety; and community services. Applicants not selected to attend this year will be automatically considered for future academies.

Mountlake Terrace

Also new in 2025, the MLT Community Academy is a free, six-week academy that will bring participants together for “behind the scenes tours and interactive experiences” at places like city hall, the police department, an operational facility, and a park. The Community Academy webpage also notes that though this year’s academy is being held in person and in English, the city is open to offering future events virtually and/or in other languages.

North Bend

North Bend has operated its eight-week Citizens Academy for three years running and will offer it to 21 attendees this year. In addition to weekly presentations and site visits, the academy will end with a recognition event where participants can connect with current city councilmembers. North Bend Mayor Mary Miller is quoted in the Snoqualmie Valley Record as saying that academy graduates “evolve into school board members, councilmembers, commissioners and nonprofit supporters.”

Liberty Lake

The Liberty Lake City Academy runs for eight weeks and puts heavy emphasis on visiting sites as part of the learning process, including city hall, the library, police, fire, and public works departments, emergency communications, and a local golf course (for the session on land use). In an interview with Governing, city administrator Mark McAvoy describes prior program outcomes:

At least two people who came through the academy decided that they wanted to run for city council and were elected. We have several board and commission members who went through the academy and then decided to volunteer and become board and commission members.

Options and Innovations

Not all community academies follow the same model, and some local agencies have had more success with alternative approaches.

Virtual academies

In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic made in-person events challenging, Snoqualmie debuted a Virtual Citizens Academy, which includes 12 modules to complete, from the history of the city to a look at major city departments (finance, IT, building division, etc.). While the virtual academy is still accessible, Danna McCall, City of Snoqualmie Communications Coordinator/PIO, said the city plans to retire the virtual model and offer future academies in person.

For other examples, see:

• Delray Beach, Florida Virtual Citizens' Academy
• Wake Forest, North Carolina Virtual Citizen’s Academy
• Washington County, North Carolina Citizen’s Academy Virtual Archive

Cross partnerships for public safety

Academies focused on public safety allow fire, police, and 911 centers to give participants a 360-degree view of how these agencies routinely work together. Here are two examples:

• The Snohomish Police Department’s Public Safety Academy is a coordinated effort between the city, Fire District 4, and the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office and Search and Rescue. Limited to 25 participants, the 16-week academy combines presentations with field trips to Fire District 4’s training center, Search and Rescue, and the SNOPAC 911 dispatch center.
• The 2025 Kitsap Public Safety Citizens Academy is a partnership between ​Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue and the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office. This program will be held over eight weeks with sessions taking place at four different locations in the county.

Short and focused

Some police departments have found that they can forego the multi-week academy format, including:

• The Des Moines Police Department, which will offer a one-week 2025 Community Academy in March, with attendees meeting each evening for three-hour sessions.
• The Tumwater Police Department, which offered a full day Citizen’s Academy “Lite” in 2024. The day was divided into a morning and afternoon program with a lunch break in between. Morning sessions focused on presentations about police work while the afternoon offered live demos and tours.

Intensive leadership programs

These programs have been developed specifically to build leadership skills while also increasing a participant’s knowledge of local government. For example, Seattle offers the People’s Academy for Community Engagement (PACE) to teach adults about Seattle’s governmental structure, community building, and media relations, and the Youth Civic Engagement Program (new in 2025) that will teach students grades 9-12 about local government and the legislative process.

Since 2022, Spokane’s Office of Neighborhood Services has partnered with Gonzaga University to offer the Spokane Neighborhood Leadership Academy (SNLA). This free five-month leadership program draws 16 people annually from the city’s 29 Neighborhood Councils (community based groups that frequently advise the city).

 SNLA participants have been involved in their neighborhood council for two years or less, and they commit to remaining involved for at least one-two years after graduating. To graduate a participant attends six in-person sessions and monthly mentorship group meetings. Through the mentorship component, attendees “make meaningful connections and get advice/help for their neighborhoods from community leaders who understand leadership development, community engagement, and the intricacies of the neighborhood council system," Gabby Ryan, Community Programs Coordinator, with the Office of Neighborhood Services, told me.

Since 2022, 33 people have graduated from SNLA, 25 of whom have maintained involvement with the city, either through a neighborhood council or on city boards/ commissions. Ryan noted that use of the Design Thinking process and deliberate collaboration with community members meant that the program was built “based on what the neighborhoods said they needed.”

“We are taking feedback from neighborhoods and SNLA cohort members regularly, so that curriculum can be adapted at any time,” Ryan said.

Conclusion

Community academies provide participants with a working knowledge of local government and the opportunity to build relationships with key agency personnel and elected officials. Program graduates become more effective advocates for their community and can also be unbiased sources of information about local programs and services, helping local agencies counter inaccuracies at the neighborhood level.

For more information about improving civic participation, check out these resources:

• American Academy of Arts and Sciences Habits of Heart and Mind: How to Fortify Civic Culture
• Tampa Bay Citizens Academy on Transportation A Guide for Developing Virtual Citizens Academies (2023)
• University of North Carolina The Citizens Academy Handbook: Building Capacity for Local Civic Engagement (2017)
• University of Washington Project for Civic Health