This study explores the annual reports of a sample of Australian and Canadian local governments (LG), focusing on the disclosures they make on citizen engagement actions, and their potential for public value co-creation, as well as their impact on citizens’ sense of belonging. To capture the creation of public value the study uses the public value creation mechanisms proposed by Virtanen and Jalonen (2023). Results indicate various cases where the LG councils tend to encourage citizens’ involvement in public issues, mainly through the form of providing feedback and suggestions related to projects and other initiatives, and to a lesser extent through actual co-design practices. Public value creation mechanisms are, however, evident in most of these cases. Also, there is reported evidence of citizens being valued and appreciated for their invovlement which is consistent with LGs attempt to boost and incease the citizens’ sense of belonging.