What is participatory

budgeting?
Participatory budgeting (PB) is a
democratic process in which
community members directly decide
how to spend part of a public budget.
In other words, the people who pay
taxes decide how tax dollars get
spent. Participatory budgeting is
grassroots democracy at its best. It
helps make budget decisions clear
and accessible. It gives real power to
people who have never before been
involved in the political process. And it
results in better budget decisions because who better knows the needs
of our community than the people who
live there?
In 2011, four New York City Council
Members launched a PB process to
let residents allocate part of their
capital discretionary funds. These
funds can be used for physical
improvements that benefit the public,
and each district has committed at
least $1 million. This year, twenty-four
Council Members are participating in
the process, giving the community real
decision-making power over more
than $25 million in taxpayer money.

How does
participatory
budgeting work?
Last fall, district residents like you
came to neighborhood assemblies to
identify community needs and suggest
projects. Then, volunteers joined
delegate committees to develop those
suggestions into project proposals,
and worked with city agencies to
estimate project costs. They put
together the proposals you will vote
on today.
Now is your chance to vote for the
projects you think should get funded.
The projects with the most votes will
be included in next years city budget,
to be built or implemented over the
next few years.
Youll get to enjoy the improvements
you help make happen. And hopefully,
youll be a part of future participatory
budgeting efforts in the city!

Participating
Members
Manhattan
Corey Johnson (District 3)
Ben Kallos (District 5)
Mark Levine (District 7)
Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito
(District 8)
Ydanis Rodriguez (District 10)
Helen Rosenthal (District 6)
Brooklyn
David Greenfield (District 44)
Brad Lander (District 39)
Steve Levin (District 33)
Carlos Menchaca (District 38)
Antonio Reynoso (District 34)
Mark Treyger (District 47)
Jumaane D. Williams (District 45)
Queens
Costa Constantinides (District 22)
Julissa Ferreras (District 21)
Karen Koslowitz (District 29)
I. Daneek Miller (District 27)
Donovan Richards (District 31)
Eric Ulrich (District 32)
Paul Vallone (District 19)
Jimmy Van Bramer (District 26)
Mark Weprin (District 23)
Bronx
Andrew Cohen (District 11)
Ritchie Torres (District 15)
Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito
(District 8)

Find out where

to vote!
Text:

PBNYC
to 212-676-8384*
Visit: council.nyc.gov/PB
Email: pbnyc@council.nyc.gov
Follow: @PB_NYC

Special Thanks To:

The budget delegates, facilitators, and district
committees
The staff of the City Council Members offices
The Participatory Budgeting Project
Community Voices Heard
The PBNYC Citywide Steering Committee
The PBNYC Research Board
PB Fellows Class of 2014-15 & the CUNY Service
Corps

Outreach partners: Desis Rising Up and Moving,

the Fortune Society, the LGBT Center, Brooklyn
Community Pride Center & MinKwon Center for
Community Action
Technology partners: Stanford Crowdsourced
Democracy Team, Democracy 2.1, Textizen,
Captricity & OpenPlans
Support from the Nathan Cummings Foundation,
New York Community Trust, New York
Foundation, New York Womens Foundation,
Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, The
Rockefeller Foundation & The Scherman
Foundation

*Standard messaging rates apply.

Credits
This ballot was produced by the design firm
MTWTF and the Center for Urban Pedagogy.

2015 Official Ballot

Participatory
Budgeting in
New York City
Council Member
Karen Koslowitz

District 29
Forest Hills
Kew Gardens
Rego Park
Richmond Hill

Voting instructions
Your vote will help decide
how $1,000,000 is spent on
improvements to your
community.
All residents of the district, age
16 and up, can vote.
You may vote for up to five (5)
projects.
You cannot vote for the same
project more than once.
Ballots marked with more than
five votes are invalid and will
not be counted.
Use black or blue pen. Ballots
marked in pencil will not be
counted.
Fill in the entire box next to
the project description to make
your choice.
Correct:
Do not use an or a . Do
not circle the box or the project
description.
Incorrect:

District 29

D29 - English
Transportation

Streets, Sidewalks, and Safety

1. Wayfinder Signs on Queens

Boulevard

4. Security Cameras

$35,000

Install 10 new ARGUS cameras to monitor

crimes, making the neighborhood a safer
place.

The Wayfinder signs will be placed on the

busy areas of Queens Boulevard. These
signs will inform pedestrians of where they
are and what is nearby.

2. Bus Trackers
$300,000
This project will install electronic signs
along eight of the major stops for the Q60
and Q23 bus routes that will tell riders
when the next bus is arriving in real time.
(Districtwide)

$350,000

(Districtwide)

Parks and Recreation

2015 Official Ballot

D29 - English

Parks and Environment

Education

Libraries

12. North Forest Park Library

Renovation

6. Adult Workout Station in

MacDonald Park

8. Willow Lake Trail

Restoration

9. Broadway-Bound Schools

$300,000

$300,000

Install fitness equipment that can be

utilized by individuals or small groups. The
equipment will be placed at easily
accessible areas of the park making it
hassle free to exercise.

This project would allocate $300,000

toward the overall cost of the walking path
restoration.

This project would help fund auditorium

renovations at 8 schools in our district that
are desperate for upgrades. These
upgrades would specifically include audiovisual upgrades and new stage lights.

$900,000

$250,000

(Districtwide)

This is a small library that has not seen

any major renovations since it was
originally built. This renovation will go
towards the updates that the library
deserves.

5. A Safer Intersection Queens & Junction

7. ADA Enhancements for

Playgrounds

10. Installing the Knowledge

of Science

13. ADA Doors at District

Libraries

$275,000
Install a 444 sq. ft. curb extension on the
Eastern corner of Junction Blvd.,
narrowing the intersection and creating a
90 degree turn from Queens Blvd. on to
Junction Blvd. to improve safety.

$100,000
Install ADA equipment at EhrenreichAustin Playground and Horace Harding
Playground so that disabled children can
have more play options.

$800,000
This project will fund the implementation of
fully equipped science labs in two of our
schools that currently have no formal
science lab.

$200,000
This project will install automatic doors at
North Forest Park, Rego Park, Forest Hills
and Richmond Hill Libraries making
libraries more accessible to the elderly
and the disabled.

P.S. 220 and JHS 157

3. On the Go! Real-time

Subway Information

11. Staying Cool in School

$91,000
Receive real-time subway status
information, a countdown for the next
scheduled train, station service
advisories, and much more.

$675,000
The funds for this project will be allocated
towards electrical upgrades so that air
condition systems can be placed in
common spaces (such as cafeterias and
libraries) in our schools.

71st Ave./Kew Gardens/63rd Dr. (Districtwide)

P.S. 139, P.S. 175, P.S. 99

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