Working with local governments and budgeting organizations, The Participatory Budgeting Project provides tools for municipalities to engage more community members in the public spending and revenue process.
Participatory Budgeting (PB) is a powerful tool that empowers citizens to become involved in their community’s municipal budget. This democratic process includes annual meetings, workshops, and assemblies in which citizens voice their priorities, investment ideas, and community needs. A dialogue between town representatives and citizens creates a fairer, more democratic municipal budget that addresses the real needs of the community.
The Participatory Budgeting Project encourages this democratic budgeting process by offering support to town administrators, public agencies, and citizen groups hoping to start PB in their communities. Providing speakers, workshops, technical assistance, evaluation of progress, and innovative research, this organization spreads the word about the benefits of PB and gives towns the tools to implement their own project. Active throughout the U.S. and Canada, this program was launched in 2009 and continues to be successful in engaging the public in their town’s budgeting decisions.
In 2011, the Participatory Budgeting Project took on its largest project yet, a $6 million PB project across four City Council districts in New York City. Working with council members, community partners, and a citywide steering committee, the organization has begun to plan the ongoing process. Neighborhood assemblies will take place through October where citizens will voice their initial ideas and concerns, and elect delegates to develop several proposals through the winter. A March 2012 vote will determine the final pitch to be included in the 2013 city budget. Pilot projects like this inspire other manipulates to adopt PB and open up their budgeting process to those who know the community the best, the people.
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