TITLE
Recommendation to receive and file a presentation from the Participatory Budget Project.
DISCUSSION
Participatory Budgeting is a democratic process by which members of the community are given the opportunity to allocate a percentage of an entity's budget to fund projects they feel should be invested in. First implemented in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 1989, it has since been embraced by hundreds of governments worldwide. It's popularity in the U.S. has grown in recent years, and it has been adopted by businesses, non profits , municipalities, and state governing bodies in various models and to varying degrees.
The goals of participatory budgeting are threefold. Participatory budgeting engages citizens in a dialogue about discretionary spending in the community, and generates social capital. It increases bureaucratic transparency, and directly connects organizations or governments with the community. Finally, it also allows for a more equitable allocation of funds to underrepresented neighborhoods and communities.
Results have shown that the community has greatly benefitted from the implementation of participatory budgeting in the United States. It is a flexible model of budget prioritization and decision-making that might be easily molded to fit the needs of the City of Long Beach and it's individual Council Districts.
FISCAL IMPACT
None
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
PATRICK O'DONNELL
COUNCILMEMBER, FOUTH DISTRICT
AL AUSTIN
COUNCILMAN, EIGHTH DISTRICT
STEVEN NEAL
COUNCILMEMBER, NINTH DISTRICT