Washington Heights-Inwood Participatory Budgeting: When/How To Vote, List Of Projects

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS-INWOOD, NY — It's time to vote on participatory budgeting projects for 2017. What is "participatory budgeting" you ask? Well, it's not as boring as it's name makes it sound.

Starting Saturday, March 25, residents of City Council District 10 — which spans Washington Heights, Inwood and Marble Hill — will be allowed to vote on how the government should spend $1 million on various community projects. That's right: the tax money is in your hands now.

"I'm excited about the great projects we have on the ballot this year but I'm even more excited to see our residents engaged and directing some of this important funding," City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez said in a statement. "Encouraging direct democracy and community control over processes like budgeting can promote better governance overall. I'm really looking forward to see what wins this year!"

This year Council District 10 residents can vote 13 on different projects which address community needs such as housing and school improvements, installing bus pads, and upgrading neighborhood parks.

Heres a full list of projects:

1. Fit4Health (installing a free outdoor gym at 167th Street & Edgecomb Avenue), $300,000;
2. Air conditioner for Castle Bridge & P.S. 128, $300,000;
3. WHEELS/I.S.143 athletic facilities upgrade, $400,000;
4. Bus pads, $320,000;
5. Board of education first recording studio - H.S. for Media, $400,000;
6. Science carts for P.S. 178, $125,000;
7. Laptops for low income students, $200,000;
8. Restore water to Sir William's Dog Run, $526,000;
9. SmartBoards or laptops for JHS 52, PS 98 and PSMS 278, $180,000;
10. Street trees and tree guards in Washington Heights and Inwood, $280,000;
11. Make the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum ADA accessible, $550,000;
12. Repair Emerson Playground water fountain drainage, $490,000;
13. New stage and auditorium curtains at Inwood Academy, $100,000.

A list of voting sites can be found here. Voters also have the option to cast their ballots online. The only requirements to vote are that you live in Council District 10 and are older than 14.

To check out the information in map form click here.

Watch the video below to learn more about how participatory budgeting works:

Screenshot courtesy of NY City Council