Redwood City is welcoming input from residents on how to apply funding from The People’s Budget, a $1 million participatory budgeting process to “support, grow or improve” the community.
Now through Feb. 19, residents can fill out this online form or attend a virtual or in-person Community Workshop to share their ideas via about how to spend the public funds “in service of the Redwood City/North Fair Oaks community,” per City officials.
Virtual Community Workshops will be held Wed., Jan. 26 at 6 pm (English) and Thurs., Feb. 3 at 5 pm (Spanish), while in-person workshops will happen outside in the downtown library’s plaza area Wed., Feb. 9 and Sat., Feb. 19. Drop-in hours for both plaza events will be noon-4 p.m.
City officials said that examples of successful projects to be funded by The People’s Budget include a “community garden, playground, neighborhood beautifications, laptops for students, road improvements” and other ideas.
The online submission form and workshops mark the “Idea Submission” phase of the participatory budgeting process—the first in a four-part undertaking, said city officials. Next up will be the “Project Voting” phase March 19 through May 9; then the “Announcement” phase where the winning projects will be announced at the June Budget Session; and finally, the “Implementation” phase, which will kick off in July 2022.
In launching The People’s Budget pilot program, Redwood City officials said it is joining more than 7,000 cities worldwide “in giving community members another way to direct local budget.”
Questions re: submitting ideas, as well as participating in the Community meetings, can be directed to pb@redwoodcity.org or (650) 780-7334. Learn more about The People’s Budget here.
