In May of 2013, the city held its first-ever vote on the projects that committees had short-listed. Any resident 16 or over was allowed to vote, and could choose six projects, with no more than one vote per project. The top 12 vote-getters would receive funding. About 3,600 people turned out to vote, which is not much out of a city of 54,000 registered voters, but those who did participate were passionate. [...] Those who did participate wielded a lot of power. The project that came in 12th, the camera project, got just 802 votes, but that authorized the city to spend $450,000 on the project. And when it came time for the city council to authorize the funding for the projects, voters showed up to make sure they had been heard. It was a contrast to the sleepy council meetings that only a few residents ever bothered to attend. “For the first time with participatory budgeting, you had a packed room, rooting for the budget,” Keen said. “They had a stake in the budget that they had imparted.” [...] In its second year, the city allotted the participatory budgeting program $2 million, down from $3 million the first year. Next year, the program will be given $1 million to spend. If it still exists at all. Vallejos budget problems arent going away, and earlier this year, after the city manager recommended PB be skipped for a budget year to pay for other essential programs and services, the council decided to allocate just around $1 million a year for the foreseeable future for PB. [...] Even in the cities where PB has worked and is embraced by city leaders, there isnt much money at stake. No American PB attempt has had the authority to spend more than $3.4 million. In Porto Alegre, Brazil, by contrast, an average of $71.5 million was allocated annually. “People could say, ‘If its such a great idea, why is it only 1 percent or $1 million?’” said Peter Levine, a professor of citizenship and public affairs at Tufts University. “A cynical explanation is that elected officials don’t want to give up their main authority—the authority over spending.” citylab/politics/2014/11/the-city-that-gave-its-residents-3-million/382443/
Posted on: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 17:09:34 +0000
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