New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the launch, on Sept. 14, of The People’s Money initiative, a citywide participatory budgeting process, whereby New Yorkers decide how to spend allotted funds to improve their local communities. Now, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA), NYC Civic Engagement Commission (CEC) are highlighting an upcoming series of boroughwide, idea generation sessions on “The People’s Money.”

 

At these five borough-based, idea generation sessions, CEC and local partners will invite residents to represent their neighborhood in the participatory budgeting (PB) process and decide how to spend specific mayoral expense funding of $5 million to address local community needs.

 

The boroughwide sessions are taking place on the following dates:

• Manhattan: Friday, Oct. 28 at 3 p.m. at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Bruno Walter Auditorium, 111 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10023
• Bronx: Thursday, Nov. 3 at 5 p.m. at Bronx Works, 1130 Grand Concourse, The Bronx, NY 10456
• Staten Island: Saturday, Nov. 5 at 1:30 p.m. at Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Building P, 1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301
• Brooklyn: Sunday, Nov. 6 at 1:30 p.m. at Brooklyn Museum, 3rd Floor, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11238
• Queens: Thursday, Nov. 10 at 5 p.m. at Queens Borough Hall, Helen Marshall Cultural Center, 120-55 Queens Blvd, Queens, NY 11424

 

In the context of the September kick-off announcement, Adams said, “Creating the first-ever citywide participatory budgeting process through the Civic Engagement Commission is a win for the community and keeps them both connected and engaged so that they know and have a say in where their tax dollars are.” The mayor added, “This initiative shows how being inclusive and open can yield results through strong civic engagement.”

 

The five community input sessions in each borough are for residents to think of specific types of programs, events and services that are relevant to their neighborhood. Residents create the idea, it’s reviewed by others through the Borough Assembly Committee (BAC) and later, the ideas selected will be put to a vote in May 2023 for implementation in July 2023.  

 

Sheena Wright, deputy mayor for strategic initiatives, said the People’s Money initiative was “a celebration of the indisputable power of civic engagement.” She added, “By expanding participatory budgeting citywide, the Adams administration, through the Civic Engagement Commission, is doubling down on its commitment to good governance and empowering New Yorkers to have a say in where their tax dollars go. I look forward to seeing the creative and collaborative projects New Yorkers will fund through this historic expansion.”

 

These upcoming idea generation sessions to discuss this specific participatory budgeting process, and this specific allotted expense funding by the Mayor’s office of $5 million is separate and distinct from the existing participatory budgeting process [on capital funding]. Capital funding for public infrastructure projects is managed by New York City Council.

 

According to the CEC, The People’s Money initiative builds on the foundation laid by CEC’s 2021 local PB process, which engaged residents of the 33 neighborhoods hardest hit by COVID-19 in a then-$1.3 million participatory budgeting process. CEC was created by a citywide referendum in November 2018, after New Yorkers voted to implement citywide participatory budgeting.

 

Participatory budgeting started in New York City in 2011 as a city council process. It started with four council members and quickly expanded to over 30. PB NYC, as it was called, engaged residents whose council members chose to participate in the PB process, and had been limited to public decision-making mostly around capital funds. The process resulted in a cumulative total of over $200 million being spent on projects voted on by residents.

 

Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson said participatory budgeting promotes civic engagement and transparency in a meaningful and creative way. She added that “The People’s Money,” follows this model by ensuring every New Yorker has a say and understanding of the budgetary process, and an equal say in the future of their neighborhoods. “In engaging the youth, undocumented New Yorkers, justice-involved residents, and other traditionally marginalized communities, we can also be assured that access and equity in the allocation of the $5 million dollars available are at the foundation of all decision-making,” Gibson said, in part, at the launch of the process.

 

As previously reported, former District 11 city council member, Andrew Cohen, at one point opted out of the participatory budgeting process in relation to City Council related funding, as he felt it had become somewhat stale with the same faces showing up at each meeting to discuss funding requests.

The People’s Money will go exclusively to expense projects, programs and services that directly help residents in their day-to-day lives, as opposed to infrastructure/capital projects.

 

“The People’s Money” initiative is New York City’s first-ever citywide participatory budgeting process, where New Yorkers can decide what projects should get funded from this $5 million budget. All New Yorkers as young as 11 years old, and regardless of immigration status, can participate.

 

Visit on.nyc.gov/PBinYourBorough to register, and attend the boroughwide idea generation sessions listed above, and to learn more about “The People’s Money,” visit participate.nyc.gov. The Bronx session takes place on Thursday, Nov. 3, but residents are free to join any session, according to City officials. Live Spanish interpretation will be provided at The Bronx session.

 

Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) has already held a number of local idea generation sessions within Bronx Community District 7 to discuss this mayoral expense funding of $5 million, as reported. CB7 will be hosting their final local session on Wednesday, Nov. 2.

 

Meanwhile, in the annual Statements of Community District Needs, the community boards across the City request specific capital and expense items they would like included in the City’s next annual fiscal budget. Currently, the boards are making requests for the financial year 2024 City budget, which will become effective on July 1, 2023.

 

For some general information and an overview of all potential budget requests community boards can make to City agencies through the Community District Priorities online submission form, the attached reference guide, prepared previously by the NYC Department of Planning, may be useful when thinking about requests for 2025, since as above, community boards are currently finalizing the process for the 2024 City budget.

 

Aside from capital funding and the mayoral People’s Money, each year, the City Council awards discretionary funds to meet local needs. Council members’ discretionary funding distribution requests and decisions fall under a different process, focusing more on funds given to nonprofit organizations to meet these local needs. To learn more about the discretionary award process, and apply for funding, visit the City Council’s Discretionary Policies and Procedures page.

 

Meanwhile, in reference to the latest “People’s Money” mayoral initiative, Dr. Sarah Sayeed, chair and executive director of CEC, said the agency is committed to the values of collaboration and manifesting community power. “Participatory budgeting is one pathway for engagement that enables communities to move their voice into action on decisions that impact their lives.” She added, “We believe that by working together with people affected by policies, we can identify and solve our collective challenges and build the interdependence required for a healthy and resilient democracy.”