Image Credit: City Council.
Through Sunday, April 14, 2024, the City Council welcomes New Yorkers to vote during Participatory Budgeting Vote Week to determine how $24 million in capital funding from the Fiscal Year 2025 budget will be spent among 24 Council districts. Participatory budgeting funds focus on improving public spaces like schools, parks, and libraries or helping beautify city streets.
New Yorkers who are 11 or older and live in or have a special connection (i.e. work or school) to a participating Council district can vote in-person or online.
The following Council Districts are participating:
Manhattan: Districts 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10
The Bronx: Districts 12, 14, 16, 18
Queens: Districts 22, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29
Brooklyn: Districts 33, 34, 35, 37, 39, 40, 45
The proposed projects in each district will differ depending on that district’s needs. New Yorkers can contact their Council Member’s office or check their social media to confirm the time and locations for in-person voting. The Council Member District Offices will be used as some of the voting sites. New Yorkers can also contact pbnyc@council.nyc.gov with further questions.
The Participatory Budget initiative started in 2011. Some of last year’s successful projects included $235,000 in upgraded library technology in Manhattan, a gymnasium upgrade for MS 390 in the Bronx, tree planting and sidewalk improvements in Queens, and creating a Family Resource Center at PS 124 in Brooklyn. To learn more about past projects that received participatory budget funding, click here.
The proposals for this year’s ballots were created by New Yorkers who participated in neighborhood assemblies and meetings in the fall and winter, and refined through conversation with relevant city agencies and participating Council Members.
Council Speaker Adrienne Adams stated, “Since October, New Yorkers across the city have created and refined proposals to improve their communities. As Participatory Budgeting Vote Week begins, residents ages 11 and older in participating districts will now be able to vote for their favorite projects to be funded in the upcoming city budget. I thank every New Yorker who has contributed throughout this Participatory Budgeting cycle, and I encourage all eligible residents to get out and vote online or in person from April 6 to April 14!”
Council Member Erik Bottcher stated, “Government should be inclusive, collaborative and accessible, and that’s what PB is all about. Every year, our constituents get to participate in the government process and vote on capital projects for their community. PB is a volunteer driven process, and we couldn’t do it without the incredible delegates who commit their time and ideas. I can’t wait to see the great projects that win this year!”
Council Member Nantasha Williams stated, “I believe that self-governing through participatory budgeting is paramount. It’s about empowering our communities to take charge of their destinies, to have a direct say in how resources are allocated, and to shape the policies that affect their lives. By actively engaging in this process, we not only strengthen the fabric of our democracy but also foster a sense of ownership and accountability in our neighborhoods.”
By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the Editor of CityLand and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)