Town councils around the country often open with either an invocation or a moment of silence. In Fountain Hills, the Town Council voted to re-establish invocations at the beginning of each meeting at the Feb. 7, 2023, meeting.
The Town had historically started its Town Council meetings with an invocation since the Town’s incorporation in 1989. Traditionally, individuals of diverse faiths with a substantial connection to the Town have been invited to offer the prayer. A moment of silence was offered if and when an invocatory was unavailable.
The Town has established an online application process to facilitate an easy and consistent process for those interested in offering the invocation. The application will ask for a name, phone number, email address, if the applicant is part of a church, organization, or resident, connection to Fountain Hills, then an opportunity to explain that connection in 250 words or less.
The applicant will submit the form for inclusion in a lottery-type drawing held in the Council Chambers. The applicants are then selected randomly in the council meeting date order. Applications for providing invocations at Town Council meetings through 2023 are now being accepted through Jul. 14 for the drawing on Jul. 18, 2023.
The remaining Town Council meetings following the summer break are Aug. 22, Sept. 6 and 19, Oct. 3 and 17, Nov. 7 and 21, and Dec. 5. All meetings start at 5:30 p.m.
Interested individuals who wish to offer an invocation at Town Council meetings should go to www.fountainhillsaz.gov/town-council to complete the online application.