Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia/Tdorante10
One of the proposals calls for bus stop countdown clocks along Queens Boulevard in Briarwood, Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, Rego Park, and Woodhaven.
By Michael V. Cusenza
City leaders join together to kick-off the launch of the “The People’s Money” — New York City’s first-ever citywide participatory budgeting process. All New Yorkers ages 11 and up will be able to decide how to spend $5 million of mayoral expense funding to address local community needs.
Beginning with the event on Wednesday at Roberto Clemente Plaza, the Civic Engagement Commission and a group of 86 partner organizations will be organizing idea-generating sessions across the five boroughs.
Residents can submit ideas and find further idea generation sessions via the CEC’s online platform: participate.nyc.gov.
The City CEC was created by a citywide referendum in November 2018, after one million New Yorkers voted, resulting in the approval of three ballot initiatives proposed by the 2018 Charter Revision Commission, including a mandate for the CEC to implement citywide Participatory Budgeting. Starting in September 2022, the NYCCEC will be launching NYC’s first-ever expense-based, citywide participatory budgeting process called The People’s Money.
All New Yorkers, regardless of citizenship, status, will have a say in how to spend $5 million of mayoral expense funding to address local community needs. All residents are invited to participate in the first phase of the process, idea generation, and all residents aged 11 and older will be eligible to vote. The People’s Money builds on the foundation laid by the Civic Engagement Commission’s 2021 local process, which engaged residents of the 33 neighborhoods hardest hit by COVID-19 in a $1.3 million participatory budgeting process.
