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Though it has a slightly daunting name, Participatory Budgeting (PB) can be simply described as direct democracy. It is a process in which community members create ideas that are then voted on by the community and implemented using allocated funds from the government’s budget. This process is internationally-recognized and supported.

 

After hearing about Participatory Budgeting in 2010, community members of Greensboro came together to request that government officials agree to allocate part of the budget towards the process. Requesting PB took a few years and many potlucks with experimental voting sessions to show and explain how the process works.

 

“Ultimately, the money spent by the city of Greensboro really determines what our city looks like and how it acts,” said cycle two’s community engagement coordinator, Valerie Warren.

 

The city finally agreed to begin PB after a close city council vote, making it the first city in the South to implement the process. They decided to allocate $500,000 towards each year’s winning projects, with $100,000 going toward each of the city’s five districts. During the first cycle, two staff people -- Ranata Reeder and Erica Lindenberg -- were hired by the city to oversee the process.

 

“I think it is important for folks to have the ability to engage in decisions that determine the conditions of their life,” Warren said, speaking about the importance of gaining PB in Greensboro. “But, I also think it is an opportunity for folks to really learn in a meaningful way how decisions take place and how the city operates.”

 

In 2015, the first cycle of PB took place in the city. A steering committee, which is the governance of the process, was first appointed by the city council. The original committee developed rules that are expanded and edited by the current cycle’s steering committee.

 

Like other PB processes, Greensboro’s PB has four stages: Idea Collection, Proposal Development, Voting & Expos and Implementation. The entire process, or a single cycle, takes approximately nine to 12 months to complete.

 

Idea Collection is a four to eight-week section of the cycle when the community gets to brainstorm ideas they want to see implemented in their city. These ideas are submitted during idea collection events or quick pop up events.  

 

After ideas are generated, the Proposal Development stage begins. This is when project ideas are researched for feasibility, cost and need by project delegates, or volunteers. The projects that are selected based on those three points are then added to the voting ballot.

 

During the voting phase, all residents of Greensboro from ages 14 and up or previously incarcerated are able to vote with an ID. If a potential voter does not have an ID on them at the time they want to vote, they can sign a waiver that states they live in Greensboro. Expos to showcase the projects and poll locations are hosted a few times in all five districts.

 

Once votes are in, the highest voted projects in each district are selected until the $100,000 limit is reached. Excess money is then used as a safety net for constructing the top projects. The implementation phase takes place between cycles.

 

“That’s really meaningful because most implementation processes that the city hosts don’t have a set timeline,” Warren said, speaking on PB’s guaranteed implementation timeline.

 

Warren believes Greensboro PB gives back to the people who take part in its process. She thinks it allows them to have a say in how some of the budget is spent and it is “equipping people with knowledge on how the local government works.”

 

Greensboro PB always need more volunteers for various positions. To find out how you can help, join the PB mailing list for reminders, or fill out a volunteer application.