Rogers Park Residents to Vote on Ward Budget

 Every alderman gets a $1.3M discretionary budget intended for capital improvements. Typically, the alderman decides where to spend the money, hopefully with good input from the residents. Alderman Joe Moore of the 49th Ward is using a different approach. It's called "participatory budgeting". He's allowing the residents to propose and vote on how the money is spent. I heard this story on NPR early this morning. It sounds like a marvelous idea. Not only would it enlighten residents but also give them a reason to gather, work together (or at odds) and really think about the entire community as a whole. Link to the NPR story and background information below.


Rogers Park Residents to Vote on Ward Budget
British site describing Participatory Budgeting
Participatory Budgeting on Wikipedia