Volunteer Community Delegates Needed for Brooklyn's Participatory Budgeting

DUMBO, BROOKLYN — Participatory budgeting (PB), now in its sixth year in New York City, gives residents the opportunity to participate in city budgeting; you can pitch projects and vote on how to spend $1 million per district. The projects typically are geared toward improving schools, parks, playgrounds and public spaces.

Volunteers, or "budget delegates" as they're named, are being sought for PB in District 33, which is represented by New York City Council Member Stephen Levin and includes Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Vinegar Hill, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Boerum Hill and parts of Bed-Stuy.

The budget delegates are divided into groups by categories of interest such as education, transportation and parks. Delegates meet approximately one time per month to help decide which projects make it to the March 2017 ballot.

If you're interested in becoming a delegate there are two upcoming mandatory training sessions that you're welcome to attend:

• Budget Delegate training session 1 (for all Brooklyn districts): Wednesday Oct. 5, at 6:00 p.m. at the Brooklyn Law School- Courtroom; 250 Joralemon St., RSVP here.
• Budget Delegate training session 2 (for District 33 only): Tuesday, Oct. 11, at 6:00 p.m. at the District Office of Council Member Levin; 410 Atlantic Ave.

In its sixth year, participatory budgeting is growing across NYC to include a number of districts. Twenty eight districts are participating in 2016-17, same as last year, but up from 24 in 2014-15.

This is the fifth year that the 33rd district is participating. A list of the projects that gained funding is available here.
Over the past four years 7,800 residents of the 33rd District voted to award funding for 20 projects with $5,801,000 in funding.

Lead image courtesy of NYC Council Member Levin.