You can always find more information on the 40th Ward’s Participatory Budgeting (PB) page on our website.
How does Participatory Budgeting Work– A Reminder
Idea Collection, Committee Creation
Neighbors brainstorm and submit Special Project ideas they want to see in their communities and applications are accepted to join the PB Committee. Look out for 40th Ward staff, interns and volunteers out at community events soliciting YOUR ideas!
Please submit ideas and apply to the PB Committee here by Aug 20, 2023:
Project Development & Vetting
The PB Committee reviews and vets Special Project ideas.
Each submitted Special Project will be scored by PB Committee members based on the five factors below. The PB Committee then will pick the top five projects that constituents will see on the final ballot.
- Sustainability: Does the project benefit our natural environment either directly or indirectly? Will this project have positive short term or long term impacts on the environment on a small scale or a large climate related scale?
- Equity: How many people will this serve? Will it serve only a certain portion of the community or will it benefit many different groups? What benefits will the community gain from implementing this project?
- Community Value: What benefits do you think this project has for the community? Would these be short term or long term benefits? Would these projects improve the 40th ward and build on work to make the ward not only a wonderful place to live but a destination for folks around the city?)
- Feasibility: Does this project seem like it would be achievable? If the proposal sounds like a long term project, is it a project that would be worth the time it takes to implement? Do you think the positives of this proposal outweigh the negative impacts it may have?
- Solves a clear problem: Will this project solve an issue facing our community? How effective do you think this solution is?
Voting
Residents of the 40th Ward will be able to vote in-person at voting locations to be announced closer to voting, online voting.
The first part of the PB ballot consists of having constituents vote on what percentage of the $1 million in menu funding, allocated to us yearly by the Department of Transportation, they want to go toward Repairs (like street resurfacing and fixing sidewalks) versus special projects (like permanent pedestrian infrastructure projects).
In the second part of the PB ballot, neighbors used rank choice voting to rank the Special Projects the PB Committee puts forth from most to least favorable.
Final Estimation, Coordination and Construction
The 40th Ward Office coordinates with the appropriate agencies and departments to make the infrastructure upgrades YOU voted on! On the repairs side, we take a look at all of the repairs submitted through our repair form. Ward menu repairs are infrastructure fixes (eg. fixing sidewalks, resurfacing streets, curb & gutter repairs, green alleys, etc.). We accept potential menu repair projects on a rolling basis to supplement our own surveying. For special projects, we work with CDOT or the relevant department to get a specific estimate, approve plans for implementation, and keep our neighbors updated every step of the project until completion.