2nd District Participatory Budgeting

About

Participatory budgeting (PB) is a form of civic engagement that allows community members to have direct say in how a portion of the public discretionary budget is spent.

History

PB can be traced back to the 1980s and 1990s, when Brazil adopted PB to allow residents to have a voice in setting public budgeting priorities. It has since been adopted in councilmanic districts and cities across the United States and Canada. 

The importance of PB goes beyond getting projects funded. It brings communities together by giving individuals a chance to advocate for projects that are important to them, engaging a wider demographic of the community in the democratic process than is the case with traditional elections, and improves collaboration between City administrators and constituents. 

The Process

No two processes are the same, but, typically, PB allows citizens to:

1) Discuss funding ideas,

2) Designate volunteers to develop ideas into proposals,

3) Present proposals to the public, and

4) Participate in a voting period. The top proposals are reviewed and funded using discretionary funds.

 

The Steering Committee

At the heart of the PB process is the Steering Committee. The Committee is a core group of volunteers who facilitate the PB process by:

•  Drafting the PB guidelines

• Establishing goals and measures for success

• Developing the outreach strategy

• Helping transform ideas into actionable proposals

• Coordinating with City administrators to create the timeline for implementation of projects

• Facilitating the final vote on proposals

 

The Steering Committee Seeks Volunteers

Council Member Shané N. Darby is inviting 2nd District residents to take part in an exploratory steering committee with the goal of bringing a PB initiative to the 2nd District.

The Steering Committee will:

• Meet once a month

• Help Collect ideas to spend Council Member Shané N. Darby’s funds ($20,000)

• Develop proposals from ideas collected and present the three (3) most popular for a community vote

• Help with recruitment for volunteers

• Help to get the word out about the process to submit ideas for projects to fund and set the voting days and location

• Make arrangements for election week

If you are interested in joining the committee, please email 2nddistrictbudget@wilmingtonde.gov

 

Participatory Budget Idea Submission Form

To submit your idea for funding, please complete the Participatory Budget Idea Submission Form by clicking on the link here.