Participatory Budgeting Comes To New York City

Every year, each city council district receive a certain amount of discretionary money which the council member can decide"at their discretion" how to spend.  This money is doled out by the speaker of the council.  For years, these discretionary funds have been marred with corruption.  Often the money ends up in the hands of council member cronies.  This includes but is not limited to non-profits that have a special connection to the council member, over payment for simple tasks, such as 100,000 dollars for a 10,000 playground.  In a lot of cases this money never ends up serving the communities its intended for but instead aids the friends and big donors of those in charge of distributing it. 

There are four districts in New York City aiming to change this, through a program known as Participatory Budgeting.  Jumaane Williams of 45, Brad Lander of 39, Melissa Mark-Viverito of 8 and Eric Ulrich of 32 are each setting aside at least 1 million dollars of discretionary funds for residents to allocate, totaling around 6 million.  The program gives members of their districts a direct say in how money is spent.  Elected officials invite constituents to town hall meetings where they brainstorm how to improve the community.  Committees based on interests such as public health or safety are formed and those committees come up with ways to implement their plans.  In March of 2012, residents will vote on the proposals with top vote-getters being included in the 2013 budget.     

Citizens around the world have had a role in their municipalities budgets for about 300 years, but the current model for participatory budgeting began in Porto Alegre, Brazil.  In 1989, Workers Party politicians and social movements pushed for the change in who decides how the budget is allocated.  Today as many as 50,000 residents annually decide how as much as 20 percent of the city budget is spent.  The program soon spread from Porto Alegre to other cities in Brazil as well as Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.  The Dominican Republic and United Kingdom have recently mandated that all local governments implement Participatory Budgeting. 

There are several benefits to a Participatory Budgeting program.  Those unfamiliar with local government processes, become better educated on the matter.  Corruption is reduced as the government becomes more transparent.  In addition, the relationship between constituent and elected officials is strengthened.  Experiencing for themselves how hard it is to formulate a budget, constituents develop sympathy for the difficult process.   

If you would like to see this program implemented in your district, write your city council member.