The Process
General FAQs
What is participatory budgeting (PB)?
A democratic process where residents work together to determine how a part of a public budget will be spent.
For PB to work, the knowledge & lived experiences of all community members must be at the table, especially the voices of those that have historically been left out of traditional policy & decision-making spaces.
PB has a series of steps that help ensure there are multiple ways to participate meaningfully - no matter how much time a community member may have. These steps also help us make sure that the knowledge & lived experiences of community members guide the process. PB is not a one day event- it is an annual cycle of meetings, fun community engagement events, and voting!
- Design: After setting a portion of the budget the Steering Committee (made of members with a range of perspectives & experiences) determine the goals, strategies to best engage our community members, criteria that projects to meet in order to be eligible, & important equity considerations.
- Brainstorm Ideas: Once the rules or the process are set, members of the broader community are invited to brainstorm ideas that