BRONX BUREAU
Who's Got The Power? Citizens To Weigh In
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The first public hearing of the mayor’s Charter Revision Commission could be the start of a fast-track effort to change the way New York City governs itself.
GOVERNMENT
Project Has Citizens Making Budget Choices
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A pilot effort is under way in four City Council districts to give constituents some say in which capital projects are funded. Amid successes and snags, there are signs the initiative is getting citizens more engaged in government.
GOVERNMENT
Flatbush: What Would You Do With $1M?
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Solar panels. Security cameras. A new church roof. There was no shortage of ideas for citizen budget delegates to consider in Councilman Jumaane Williams’ district. But not all of them could work.
GOVERNMENT
Kensington: What Price a Dog Park?
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In Councilman Brad Lander’s district, citizen budget delegates learned quickly how expensive simple projects can be. But they also found much could be accomplished without spending a dime.
BRONX BUREAU
East Harlem: Of 500 Budget Ideas, a Few Survive
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Delegates in Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito’s district had to get savvy about how to get the maximum out of their million. So they expanded the scope of potential projects and limited the number they’d consider.
GOVERNMENT
Rockaways: A Line in the Sand
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Citizen budget delegates in City Councilman Eric Ulrich’s district focused on two neglected neighborhoods—including one where a wall between the city and the sea has become a subject for debate.
BROOKLYN BUREAU
Five BK Councilmembers Will Let Residents Shape Budget
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The city’s participatory budgeting experiment moves into its third cycle, with Brooklyn more deeply bought in than the other boroughs.
BRONX BUREAU
Participatory Budgeting Comes to the Bronx
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After two years of trial runs in other boroughs, a project that lets residents decide how some of the city’s capital money gets spent will expand to include two Bronx districts.
CITY VIEWS: OPINIONS and ANALYSIS
Participatory Budgeting: Catch the Fever!
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First there were four. Then there 10. This year 22 Councilmembers will let constituents decide how to spend money. The dollar impact is impressive. The democracy impact could be even more so.