Participatory budgeting proposed for Greensboro

The PB Project is working with the Fund for Democratic Communities to launch PB in Greensboro, NC. See this recent article in Yes Weekly for more info: Participatory Budgeting Proposed for Greensboro.

Cutting Democracy from Chicago's Budget?

Chicago's new mayor, Rahm Emanuel, is considering cutting the discretionary funds allocated to Aldermen - the pot of money used for participatory budgeting in the city's 49th Ward. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the $66 million budget - called menu money - could be eliminated.

The funds are distributed equally to the city's 50 Aldermen, to pay for basic ward infrastructure. Alderman Moore has been letting 49th Ward residents decide how to spend their menu money since 2009, and other Aldermen are planning to follow suit this year - but only if the menu money remains in the budget.

PBP on CBC

The Participatory Budgeting Project's Maria Hadden was interviewed last night on the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) program Connect with Mark Kelley. In light of the current federal budget debates in Canada, she discussed Participatory Budgeting in Chicago's 49th Ward, as an alternative way to decide public spending. Her segment appears around the 24 minute mark of the video.

Update from Springfield

Check out this quick 8-minute video of the recent PB event in Springfield, MA, that captures the participants' contributions. In the coming months, local organizers are planning to work with elected officials and candidates to move forward discussions about implementing PB in the region. If anyone is interested in getting involved, please let us know.

Organizing in Greensboro

In May, the Fund for Democratic Communities invited The PB Project to lead some discussions about bringing PB to Greensboro, North Carolina. After a successful visit, organizers are ready to move forward:

"Folks are ready to move from learning about participatory budgeting in other cities to figuring out how to make it a reality in our town. Please join us for an information and brainstorming session on how to bring participatory budgeting to Greensboro, North Carolina!

On June 14th, from 6 to 8 pm, we will meet in the Nussbaum Room at Greensboro’s Central Library. After a short introductory (or refresher) presentation on participatory budgeting, we’ll brainstorm together and build a strategy to bring participatory budgeting to Greensboro. Bring your energy and ideas to help build momentum around this exciting and timely project!"

For more info, see the Fund for Democratic Communities.

PB Discussion in Chicago

If you're in the Chicago area, check out the following event:

Roving Cafe Society with WBEZ: Participatory Budgeting
Thursday, June 23 – 6:00 PM – WBEZ North Side Bureau (2913 West Devon Ave, Chicago)
For the first time in the U.S., the city’s 49th Ward lets taxpayers directly decide how public money is spent. Residents of the ward were able to decide last year, through participatory budgeting, how to spend $1.3 million in taxpayer dollars. What are the benefits of participatory budgeting and what are its downfalls? Alderman Joe Moore of the 49th Ward and Liz Vitell from the Rogers Park Community Council will be our guest speakers. Come learn more about this process and more at our Roving Café Society discussion!

Co-sponsored by WBEZ 91.5FM
Register here
Explore the event