Menin Announces Participatory Budgeting
District 5 Council Member dedicates $1 million in capital funding
| 07 Jan 2022 | 11:27
City Council Member Julie Menin. Photo courtesy of Office of Council Member Julie Menin
Council Member Julie Menin announced an allocation of one million dollars to continue participatory budgeting for Council District 5 (Yorkville, Lenox Hill, Carnegie Hill, Roosevelt Island, Midtown East, Sutton Place, and El Barrio in East Harlem). Participatory Budgeting is a democratic process in which community members directly decide how to spend part of a public budget. Since her time serving on the Board of Citizens Union, Menin has championed the importance of civic participation in our budgeting process.
A total of one million dollars of the Council Member’s discretionary budget allocation can be used for physical infrastructure projects that benefit the public, cost at least $50,000, and have a lifespan of at least five years. For example, projects such as local improvements to schools, parks, libraries, housing and other public spaces can be funded.
Starting today, area residents are invited to share project ideas that could be implemented within her Council District by visiting this website and sharing proposals by January 23, 2022. Interested parties that wish to volunteer and assist with the process should create an account with (or sign into) NYC.ID. This platform allows residents to comment on and vote for their favorite ideas.
Ideas are then submitted to the respective city agency for evaluation and cost, and Menin’s office will work with community partners to formulate a ballot for voting. Ballots will be distributed throughout the East Side of Manhattan and Roosevelt Island as well as through an online portal for voting from April 2 through April 10. Winners will be announced in late April and included in the city’s budget at adoption in June 2022.
“I’m very excited as we begin this Participatory Budgeting cycle,” said Menin. “Participatory budgeting is a great way to get the pulse of the community and formulate the best use of city dollars. Participatory Budgeting shows the power and importance of this grassroots fueled process and I look forward to engaging the community.”