The results are in! Community members have been voting for their favorite Participatory Budgeting (PB) projects, and NYC Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez’s District 34 has released their winners.
PB allows community members to decide how to spend part of the public budget directly. NYC Council District 34 hosted voting sites from April 6– April 14 so the public, ages 11 and older, who live in the district regardless of immigration status, could vote in person on local projects.
According to Juan Mayancela, Bushwick and Ridgewood Community Organizer, the district had the most votes for the second year in a row with 9,030 ballots.
“We are thrilled to celebrate another successful year of participatory budgeting. Our district has once again led the way with the most votes of any other district, showing our community’s strong commitment to this democratic process,” Gutiérrez said. “Year after year, our residents demonstrate their enthusiasm and clarity about what we want and need.”
The winning projects in North Brooklyn are set to make a significant impact: P.S. 17 won $175,000 for a new hydroponic lab, P.S. 123 will receive $250,000 towards sound and visual upgrades in the school’s auditorium, P.S. 147 will be awarded with $250,000 for a state-of-the-art computer lab and technology access to aid online learning for elementary students, and P.S. 145 received $50,000 for new water fountains.
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