Yes and no. Nearly half of NYC residents have no direct voice over how their tax dollars are spent in their districts. Just over half of the City Council Members currently do PB. And, since it’s optional, PB is not guaranteed through City Council’s process.
Building citywide participatory budgeting into our Charter will ensure New Yorkers everywhere have more say in where our tax dollars are going.
The proposed Civic Engagement Commission will be able to look at bigger and new kinds of projects that cannot currently be funded through Council’s capital-restricted PB process. Participatory budgeting works. This proposal is an incredible opportunity for NYC to become a world leader in direct democracy.
Categories: