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This April…PBP’s celebrating the end of tax season…and the start of keeping public funds accountable to the people! We’re making sure our tax dollars go to the projects we the people care most about!
Spring’s here! It’s time for frolic and fun!
Get your tickets now for our annual #PBParty on June 16th in NYC!
Even if you can’t be in there in person, you can still join in the festivities! These include voting in our PB2 process (where YOU decide the projects we should pursue), celebrating amazing honorees, and much MUCH more!
Buy tickets now!
2. Residents decide how their taxes are spent!
First time votes and voting kick-offs.
After all the paperwork, don’t you ever wonder where your taxes go? Cambridge and Long Beach saw this first hand, as they voted on community projects through participatory budgeting!
During a Vote Results Party on April 7, City Officials announced the winning projects of Cambridge’s first PB process. Winning projects funded in 2016 include 100 new trees and tree wells in low-canopy neighborhoods, a public toilet in Central Square, and 8 bike repair stations.
PB in Cambridge is becoming a permanent part of the city budget process because of resounding community support. The second year of PB will kick off this summer. Find out more at www.cambridgema.gov/yourbudget
In Long Beach, residents 14 years and older in the 9th District decided how to spend $250,000 on projects like solar powered lights, security cameras, and a new marquee for Jordan High School. The first PB process in Southern California will soon be joined by Long Beach’s 1st District as they kick off a youth process this month!
New York and Chicago get to vote next!
Chicago’s project expos started on April 11 with voting later in the month – learn more at http://www.pbchicago.org/
And NYC residents are deciding how the city should distribute 25 million dollars by voting through April 19!
Learn more here:
https://vimeo.com/119601626
3. Stakeholder surveys: last chance to win prizes for helping make PB better!
Why wait until your tax refund to get some extra cash!
Fill out this quick survey to help us understand what resources are the most important for making PB growing in your community…and you could win:
The results come out in May and will guide our work to make PB more accessible and effective! The top suggestions will go on the ballot for PB2, our own PB process that let’s you decide how to spend part of PBP’s budget!
Click here to take the survey, and here to share and tweet the survey to your friends!
4. PB stories: Joni Ricks-Oddie from Long Beach, CA
PBP always wants to know what gets volunteers interested in PB! In this PB Story, PBP’s Solaire Spellen interviews Long Beach Budget Delegate Joni Ricks-Oddie to talk about how she and her husband first got involved in participatory budgeting!
“The best part of this experience is the continual exchange of ideas we got to have with other residents,” Joni explained. “We’ve gotten the opportunity to make some wonderful new connections and friendships with our neighbors. It is amazing to us how much talent and passion is already present in our community!
Check out the rest of Joni’s PB Story here!
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