By Carol Tannenhauser
The participatory budgeting (PB) process for the next fiscal year is underway. This is the time when residents of participating City Council districts can decide directly how some of their tax dollars will be spent. They can propose and vote to fund a wide variety of projects benefiting the local community. From now through January 23 is the “proposal submission” phase of the process, so now’s the time to get on board.
District 6 Council Member Gale Brewer explained further in her inaugural newsletter:
[Participatory Budgeting] is a democratic process in which community members directly decide how to spend part of the public budget. PB gives people real power to make real decisions over real money. The process was first developed in Brazil in 1989. There are now over 3,000 participatory budgets around the world, most at the municipal level. It enables New York City residents to propose, evaluate, and vote on projects in their City Council districts. Successful projects will be funded by Council Member discretionary funds. Discretionary funds are monetary resources Council Members typically allocate based on their local priorities.
“Residents in each participating City Council district can decide how to spend capital and/or discretionary expense funding,” explained the NYC Civic Engagement Commission (CEC). “For Capital funds, this will mean that $1 million of Council Member budget allocation that can be used for physical infrastructure projects that benefit the public, cost at least $50,000, and have a lifespan of at least 5 years. For example, projects such as local improvements to schools, parks, libraries, housing, and other public spaces can be funded.”
Some examples of projects that have been funded by PB in the past are: Library Upgrades for P.S. 166; Air Conditioning for P.S. 9; New Waste Management System for NYCHA Buildings; Neighborhood Tree Planting and Tree Guards; and a new Recreation and Fitness area intended for tweens and younger adults in Riverside Park at 76th Street.
As noted, PB is currently in the first phase of the process. From now through January 23, you can submit your proposals here. You can also see other proposals that have been submitted.
“Ideas are [then] vetted, refined, and matched to agencies by PB volunteers, and a ballot is created and voted on by residents of District 6,” the CEC explained. “Council Members then submit projects receiving the most votes to be allocated in the budget at adoption in June for the following fiscal year. The projects are then implemented by City agencies and community-based organizations.”
Please note that the air conditioning for PS9 was for the gym and/or the auditorium (I forget which). Both of which are shared with Center School. This was greatly appreciated but should not be over-exaggerated.
Ventilation upgrades would be a major boon in the fight against COVID.
Upgrades to what exactly? $1mm won’t go far these days…
Not to mention it’ll be wasted when Covid becomes endemic in 6 month or so. We never upgraded school ventilation systems, etc. for the seasonal flu or the common cold.
Could spend the 1 million on Red Light Cameras
The city is not picking up our trash. Nor is our useless Columbus Ave BID. The area around 72nd and Broadway, especially the south side of 72nd street and the East side of Broadway, is filthy and disgusting. What’s the point of planting trees, or any of these other projects, if you have to walk through trash to get to them?
Hi Lisa,
Could you clarify the areas of Columbus Avenue where trash is not getting picked up? I would love to address the situation if it is in our district. We cover Columbus Ave from 67th to 82nd. Our Doe Fund team is on the Avenue 7 days a week (except holidays).
Thanks!
Hello BID:
Can you or anyone please clean up the filthy roach Infested carts and pallets and garbage in front of Fairway? They own our sidewalk with their filth? And then just maybe some stores will come back. As it is, because of the dirty streets and addicts, wandering homeless etc. We can barely buy a light bulb on the UWS. Thanks for any help.
Unfortunately, we do not cover those locations. Our BID covers only Columbus Avenue between West 67th and West 82nd Streets!
Thank you Columbus ave BID & Doe Fund! You keep our section of the neighborhood looking great.
Thank you — The bin at the NE corner of 72nd and Broadway is always overflowing with trash, as are the bins the SE and NE corner of 73rd and Broadway. 72nd between Columbus and Broadway often has trash in the street and on the sidewalk, especially around the outdoor dining areas. It seems like the Doe fund makes once or twice daily sweeps, which are not sufficient. It also appears as though the Doe fund does nothing with litter that is left on the sidewalks.
I vote for RAT REMOVAL!!! They’re taking over. And maybe getting rid of those outdoor dining sheds that are feeding them and blocking traffic that pollutes the air.
Agreed! We should remove more parking spaces and replace them with containerized trash. I’m not sure how you solve the rat issue when we put trash bags out unenclosed multiple times a week. It’s like a rat buffet several times a week!
So you’re saying that parked cars in the parking spots on the avenues did not block traffic, but the dining sheds in those exact same spots do? This is patently ridiculous.
As to pollution “from the outdoor dining sheds,” you know it’s the cars that pollute, not the dining sheds, right? Removing parking spaces for those polluting cars is what gets rid of pollution, not removing the sheds so more cars can drive into our neighborhood and park for 2 hours. (You know those parking spots on Columbus and Amsterdam are metered and only let you park for 2 hours, right?)
Agree 100%, something drastic needs to be done about the rats
Torch the outdoor dining sheds. If we are vaccinated we can eat indoors. New York City looks like a shanty town. And we wonder where the rats are eating out? They are under your feet people while you eat.
We could have some ‘Rat crossing’ safety signs.
I proposed: https://www.participate.nyc.gov/processes/ccdistrict6/f/139/proposals/680
Sorry, but this is not a good idea. We do not have enough space, and it’s too expensive. And CPW is nothing like Storrow Dr in Boston. I do agree that the intersection needs work, though, so it would still be worth some focus.
I am talking about the Central Park West Drive, not Central Park West. Was that not clear?
Still a bad idea.
Olmsted’s underpasses and bridges were very thoughtfully designed to not clash with the natural feel of the park. A pedestrian overpass would be unsightly. it would need to be an underpass or a proper bridge like others in the park. which would be way too expensive and disruptive to install.
But it’s just not needed. Overpasses/bridges like that are helpful when you want complete separation of traffic/pedestrians (like is necessary on Storrow Dr in Boston, or across the FDR at 103rd st). but this is a park: people are walking on the drive, walking across the drive, running, biking — it should not be necessary to have complete separation.
We just need bicyclists (and others — runners too!) to stop for pedestrians when they have the light. We could try ticketing, but that would have limited effectiveness (how do you ticket 10 cyclists at once going through a red light when pedestrians are crossing?) and only effective when ticketing officers are present.
How about a pedestrian requested gate to block cross traffic? A pedestrian waiting to cross presses a button; when light changes, a gate comes down to allow safe crossing. Would need emergency vehicles to be able to override the lights but I think that technology exists. This would help not just at the crossing you mention but at many pedestrian heavy crossings throughout the park.
No NOT clear. The name is confusing. Try using the “Park Drive in Central Park”…instead.
Love the idea. Olmsted build the underpasses to accomplish the same thing.
just regular street signs on every corner! sometimes there are none or only one covered by scaffolding! so annoying not to know which block you’re on!
Upgrading NYCHA housing gets my vote.
Ditto. The entire allocation should go to repair NYCHA residences, starting with whatever is the top priority. Our neighbors have been living in intolerable situations for much too long.
I do not think that funds should go to places like PS 9 or other middle class schools. Funds should be used to improve and offer access for the community.
This community has changed greatly.
City housing has not improved. We need to fund in the spirit of equity. We need to remember what this neighborhood represented.
The gap between the rich and poor has grown, especially in this neighborhood.
The money should be spent ridding our community of criminals and filth. There is nothing more basic and necessary than this.
I agree that having clear street signs on every corner would be a good start. Being on a bus and not knowing when to get off or how far away you are from your stop is very annoying.
Also, rats must be dealt with. They are on every street now. Whole families of them, taking over the sidewalks.
There is no point voting because parents vote in blocks to get the awards for school projects.
FIX POT HOLES, especially at West 79th St. entrance to West Side Hiway. They are so big that I cannot ride in a cab over them, without being bounced around all over the back of the taxi. I have had spinal surgery, and have to have taxi cabs take me through the streets rather than get onto the West Side Hiway. This is really dangerous for anyone driving.
I served on a PB District 6 committee for 5 years and only found out about this via my wife. How did the author find out? I served on the committee that put forth the idea for those basketball courts.
The street sign idea is good. For some reason the street signs are white letters on a light green. More contrast would be nice. And maybe even a small light attached to each sign.
Sorry for starting the new year as Debby Downer but given that we are going to spend
* $90M on the 79th St Marina
* $200M on the 79th St Rotunda
* $70M on the 1800 seat Delacorte Theatre in CP
the 1M earmarked for Participatory Budgeting feels like such a joke. Is it even worth the administrative overhead
to have this program?