During a prior participatory budgeting neighborhood assembly in District 26 (via Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer)
Sept. 20, 2019 By Christian Murray
Participatory budgeting is kicking off again in District 26, where area residents can pitch ideas and vote on how to spend $1 million on capital projects, Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer announced earlier this week.
The months-long event, now in its sixth year within the district that covers Long Island City, Sunnyside, and parts of Woodside and Astoria, will begin with a series of neighborhood assemblies where residents can learn about and give ideas on what project they’d like to see funded in the area.
“I am thrilled to kick off our sixth year of participatory budgeting by hosting five neighborhood assemblies across the 26th District,” said Council Member Van Bramer in a statement. “Last year, we saw so many people get involved in the process and come up with amazing ideas for projects to improve our schools, libraries, public housing and more.”
The assemblies, beginning next week and taking place until the end of the month, will help determine which projects will make it onto the ballot to be voted on.
The selected ideas fall under capital projects, or physical infrastructure improvements for public benefit such as park revamps, new school technology, and more.
Residents who are unable to attend an assembly meeting are able pitching ideas through an online interactive map. Click here.
The ballot with the selected items is typically released in about five months time, or some time in March, with residents ages 11 and up eligible to vote for up to five projects they’d like to see developed.
Voting will wrap up some time in the spring, with winning projects announced by the end of June 2020 so they can be added to the City Council’s budget for the following year.
Last year Van Bramer pledged at least $1 million for these projects but in then end allocated about $2.1 million.
Neighborhood assemblies will be held at the following places and times:
Ravenswood Community Center
Monday, Sept. 23 at 6 p.m.
35-40 21st St., Long Island City/Astoria
Sunnyside Library
Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 6 p.m.
43-06 Greenpoint Ave., Sunnyside
Jacob A. Riis Settlement
Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 6 p.m.
Queensbridge Houses, 10-25 41st Ave., Long Island City
Woodside Community Center
Thursday, Sept. 26 at 6 p.m.
Woodside Houses, 50-19 Broadway, Woodside
Hunters Point Library
Monday, Sept. 30 at 6 p.m.
47-40 Center Blvd., Long Island City
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2 Comments
Money to buy dust pans and brooms to clean the streets around here they are all so dirty and hire homeless unemployed to clean the streets. Money for neighborhood patrols as the nabe changing as flooded with the prison to shelter pipeline residents occupying our local homeless hotels as per the Parole officers who make the rounds daily.
I’ll be there to support JVB. I think the money should go to rich real estate developers like Trump.