2020 Award "Best Practice in Citizen Participation"
14th Edition 2020
Humanizing the Budget Process- City of Durham (population 275,000), North Carolina, The United States of America
English
Who is the proposal being submitted by?
The City of Durham Budget & Management Services staff submits this application on behalf of the City of Durham. Participatory Budgeting Durham (PB Durham) is a democratic process that allows residents and students of Durham age 13 or older to decide how to spend $2.4 million of the City’s budget. PB Durham launched in 2018 with the following goals:
• Implement projects that serve the most marginalized communities
• Build greater equity by allocating resources in ways that correct past harm.
• Engage more diverse populations in making decisions about how resources are used.
• Increase overall engagement in decision making in the City.
Which practice/innovation is being submitted and what is its purpose?
The innovative strategies practiced during the first Cycle of PB Durham included the following:
• using digital methods for outreach and voting including text banking, interactive digital mapping solutions, and targeted outreach using community data,
• providing financial support for low-income residents to participate in crucial stages of project development,
• offering a month-long remote and in-person voting period; integrating PB in residents everyday lives to increase equity and ensure equal access we also canvassed underrepresented neighborhoods and tabled at community health centers, bus stations, social services departments, courthouses, school and community events and outside of our City Hall payment center.
These methods increased the number of people and the diversity of individuals involved in the process, expanding participation from the usual suspects of those most financially able to engage. PB Durham’s unique and innovative adaptation of participatory budgeting engaged over 14,000 individuals’ in its inaugural year. Doubling the average percentage of participation than other PB processes in the United States and globally. PB Durham received over 10,000 votes from students and residents over 13 with an estimated eligible voting population of 190,000. PB Durham is in its first year of implementation, however, we strongly believe our innovative practices to community engagement have had significant impact on the increased coordination of engagement internally and an increase in public participation related to the budgetary process from Durham residents & students. Participation in local government processes and decision-making within the City of Durham and many other municipalities has traditionally been made by a small group of residents that are already engaged with the City and are typically white and older than the average Durham resident. PB Durham was implemented with the goal of diversifying the coalition of residents & students engaged in local government decision-making.
Why is this an innovative practice?
The practices outlined below are important because they allowed youth, justice-involved, Hispanic, and other underrepresented groups to participate in local government decision-making and vote their community priorities into reality.
- Remote online voting:
- Only 9% of previous PB processes utilized remote voting. Remote voting allowed increased participation from community members who were unable to participate in person.
- Community partnerships:
- Partnered with Durham Public Schools and Kids Voting Durham to introduce PB Durham curriculum in the school system.
- Partnered with North Carolina Central University, a historically black university in Durham to provide data training and facility space during voting.
- Need-based stipends:
To increase equity and representation over 25 residents received a need-based stipend totaling approximately $600 over a four month period. The stipend allowed residents who were unable to participate historically in local government decision-making because of more urgent needs.
Español
¿Quién está sometiendo la propuesta?
El personal de Servicios de Presupuesto y Administración de la Ciudad de Durham somete esta solicitud de parte de la Ciudad de Durham. El presupuesto Participativo de Durham (PB Durham por sus siglas en inglés) es un proceso democrático que permite a residentes y estudiantes de Durham de 13 años en adelante decidir cómo gastar $2.4 millones del presupuesto de la Ciudad. PB Durham fue lanzado con los siguientes objetivos:
- Implementar proyectos que sirvan a las comunidades más marginalizadas.
- Construir mayor equidad a través de la asignación de recursos en formas que corrijan daños pasados.
- Involucrar a poblaciones más diversas en el proceso de la toma de decisiones sobre cómo se utilizan los recursos.
- Aumentar la participación general en la toma de decisiones en la Ciudad.
¿Qué práctica o innovación está siendo sometida y cuál es el propósito?
Las estrategias innovadoras que se utilizaron en el primer Ciclo de PB Durham estuvieron entre las siguientes:
- Utilizar métodos digitales para el alcance comunitario y votación los cuales incluyen envíos de textos masivos, soluciones de mapeo interactivo digital, y difusión dirigida utilizando información comunitaria.
- Brindar apoyo financiero para que los residentes de bajos ingresos participen en etapas decisivas del desarrollo del proyecto.
- Ofrecer un periodo de un mes de votación a distancia y en persona; a través de integrar el PB en la vida diaria de los residentes para aumentar la equidad y asegurar el acceso equitativo. Pudimos llegar a vecindarios subrepresentados y poner mesas con información en los centros comunitarios, estaciones de autobús, departamentos de servicio social, tribunales, eventos escolares y comunitarios y afuera del centro de pagos del Ayuntamiento.
Estos métodos aumentaron el número de personas y la diversidad de los individuos involucrados en el proceso, aumentando la participación más allá de los colaboradores de siempre quienes tienen la posibilidad económica de involucrarse con mayor facilidad. La adaptación única e innovadora de PB Durham para hacer un presupuesto participativo involucró a más de 14,000 en su año inaugural. Duplicando el porcentaje de participación comparado con otros procesos de PB en los Estados Unidos y a nivel global. PB Durham Recibió más de 10.000 votos de residentes y estudiantes mayores de 13 anos con un estimado de población elegible para votar de 190.000. PB Durham está en su primer año de implementación, sin embargo, consideramos firmemente que nuestras prácticas innovadoras de participación comunitaria han tenido un impacto importante en el aumento de la coordinación de colaboración interna y un incremento en la participación relacionada al proceso del presupuesto por parte de los residentes y estudiantes de Durham. La participación en los procesos del gobierno local y la toma de decisiones dentro de la Ciudad de Durham y muchas otras municipalidades tradicionalmente han estado a cargo de un pequeño grupo de residentes que ya está involucrado con la Ciudad y son generalmente gente blanca y mayor que el residente representativo de Durham. PB Durham se implementó con la meta de diversificar la coalición de residentes y estudiantes en la toma de decisiones a nivel del gobierno local.
¿Por qué es esta una práctica innovadora?
Las practicas descritas a continuación son importantes porque permitieron a jóvenes, a personas involucradas en el sistema judicial, hispanos/latinos y otros grupos subrepresentados participar en la toma de decisiones y votar para lograr que sus prioridades comunitarias sean una realidad.
- Voto en línea a distancia:
- Solo el 9% de los procesos anteriores de PB utilizaron votación a distancia. La votación a distancia permitió un aumento en la participación de los miembros de la comunidad que no podían participar en persona.
- Colaboraciones comunitarias:
- Colaboramos con las Escuela Publicas de Durham y Kids Voting Durham para presentar el currículo de PB Durham en el sistema escolar.
- Colaboraos con North Carolina Central University, una escuela históricamente Afroamericanas en Durham para brindar capacitación de datos y brindar un espacio en las instalaciones para votar.
- Incentivos en base a la necesidad:
Para aumentar la equidad y representación más de 25 residentes recibieron incentivos basados en las necesidades por un total de $600 en un periodo de cuatro meses. El incentivo les permitió participar a residentes que históricamente no podían hacer parte de la toma de decisiones del gobierno local por necesidades urgentes básicas.
Francais
Par qui la proposition est-elle soumise?
Le personnel du Budget de la Ville de Durham (BMS) soumet cette demande au nom de la ville de Durham. Participatory Budgeting Durham (PB Durham) est un processus démocratique qui permet aux résidents et aux étudiants de Durham âgés de 13 ans ou plus de décider comment dépenser 2,4 millions de dollars du budget de la ville. PB Durham a été lancé en 2018 avec les objectifs suivants:
- Mettre en œuvre des projets au service des communautés les plus marginalisées
- Construire une plus grande équité en allouant des ressources de manière à corriger les dommages passés.
- Engager des populations plus diverses à prendre des décisions sur la façon dont les ressources sont utilisées.
- Accroître l'engagement global dans la prise de décision dans la ville.
Quelle pratique / innovation est soumise et quel est son objectif?
Les stratégies innovantes pratiquées pendant le premier cycle de PB Durham comprenaient les suivantes:
- utiliser des méthodes numériques pour la sensibilisation et le vote, notamment des services bancaires par SMS, des solutions de cartographie numérique interactive et une sensibilisation ciblée à l'aide de données communautaires,
- fournir un soutien financier aux résidents à faible revenu pour qu'ils participent aux étapes cruciales de l'élaboration du projet,
- offrir une période de vote à distance et en personne; intégrer PB dans la vie quotidienne des résidents pour accroître l'équité et garantir l'égalité d'accès, nous avons également examiné les quartiers sous-représentés et déposé dans les centres de santé communautaires, les gares routières, les services sociaux, les palais de justice, les événements scolaires et communautaires et à l'extérieur de notre centre de paiement de l'hôtel de ville.
Ces méthodes ont augmenté le nombre de personnes et la diversité des individus impliqués dans le processus, augmentant la participation des suspects habituels des personnes les plus financièrement capables de s'engager. L'adaptation unique et innovante de PB Durham a mobilisé plus de 14 000 individuels au cours de sa première année. Doubler le pourcentage moyen de participation par rapport aux autres processus PB aux États-Unis et dans le monde. PB Durham a reçu plus de 10 000 votes d'étudiants et de résidents de plus de 13 ans, avec une population éligible de 190 000 personnes. PB Durham est dans sa première année de mise en œuvre, cependant, nous croyons fermement que nos pratiques innovantes en matière d'engagement communautaire ont eu un impact significatif sur la coordination accrue de l'engagement en interne et une augmentation de la participation du public liée au processus budgétaire des résidents et étudiants de Durham. La participation aux processus gouvernementaux locaux et à la prise de décisions au sein de la ville de Durham et de nombreuses autres municipalités est traditionnellement le fait d'un petit groupe de résidents qui sont déjà engagés avec la ville et sont généralement blancs et plus âgés que le résident moyen de Durham. PB Durham a été mis en œuvre dans le but de diversifier la coalition de résidents et d'étudiants engagés dans le processus décisionnel du gouvernement local.
Pourquoi est-ce une pratique innovante?
Les pratiques décrites ci-dessous sont importantes car elles ont permis aux jeunes, à la justice, aux Hispaniques et à d'autres groupes sous-représentés de participer au processus décisionnel du gouvernement local et de concrétiser leurs priorités communautaires.
- Vote à distance en ligne:
- Seulement 9% des processus PB précédents utilisaient le vote à distance. Le vote à distance a permis une participation accrue des membres de la communauté qui n'étaient pas en mesure de participer en personne.
- Partenariats communautaires:
- Partenariat avec Durham Public Schools et Kids Voting Durham pour introduire le programme PB Durham dans le système scolaire.
- Partenariat avec la North Carolina Central University, une université historiquement noire à Durham pour fournir une formation sur les données et un espace d'installation pendant le vote.
- Allocations basées sur les besoins:
Pour accroître l'équité et la représentation, plus de 25 résidents ont reçu une allocation fondée sur les besoins totalisant environ 600 $ sur une période de quatre mois. L'allocation a permis aux résidents qui étaient historiquement incapables de participer à la prise de décision du gouvernement local en raison de besoins plus urgents.
This proposal has been accepted because:
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16 comments
Conversation with The State Regional Institution Municipal Law Information Center. Novgorod region. Russia.
Хорошая практика партисипаторного бюджетирования.
Good practice for participatory budgeting.
Conversation with Bristol Ciy Council
Great job! Do you have any website or can you share any documents of the process?
Thank you! Please copy and paste the links below. Please let me know if you have any questions or need additional information.
· ICMA PM February 2020 edition PB Durham's article starts on page 38 https://issuu.com/icma-pm/docs/pm_feb_2020_full_issue_150dpi
· Business Insider article https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/the-city-of-durham-awards-emerging-entrepreneurs-inc-with-participatory-budgeting-grant-to-launch-youth-stem-and-entrepreneurship-platform-1028928862
· Indy Week article https://indyweek.com/news/durham/durham-hit-10000-participatory-budgeting-goal/
· PB Durham website https://www.pbdurham.org/
· PB Durham twitter account https://twitter.com/pbdurhamnc?lang=en
Thanks a lot for sharing that information! We'll read it carefully!
Conversation with Alcaldia Municipal de Chía
Good afternoon, I believe that the participatory budget is one of the most effective policies of citizen participation.
The humanization of participatory budget, that is, involve populations that are not usually part of these processes changes the results and the decision to do with public money.
In Durham's case, priorities changed greatly by incorporating young people, people involved in the judicial system, Hispanics/Latinos, etc.
Do these people have a differential vote? In other words, are there affirmative actions that make your vote have a greater percentage impact than that of other sectors? What happens when a person is part of several vulnerable populations? Have you worked with gender diversity?
Fraternal greetings from Colombia.
Thank you for your questions! All votes were weighted the same, there are no affirmative actions that make one persons vote outweigh another, however, projects that were located in specific geographic areas in the City that were below the household median income, comprised of majority people of color and/or below the average poverty rate were weighted on a scale by our residents prior to being selected to the ballot. For example, a project that was located in a majority-minority community or primarily Spanish proficient neighborhood then the project would score higher on the equity score which was used to assess the projects using an equity lens. We have not addressed gender diversity directly but found we had more women participated from our voter profile data. As we redesign our program for Cycle 2, we are having these exact conversations on how to address and integrate equity in every step of the process. Again, thank you for your questions.
Conversation with Olga Lopatina - Acting Minister of Finance of Sakhalin Region
Hello! Good practice.
Do you use text message banking in advocacy campain?
How did you manage to negotiate with local banks? What points do you mark at the digital maps? It’s also interesting to know how the user is verified on the onlive platform that you use to vote.
Text banking in this instance refers to the usage of SMS messaging for marketing of the PB Durham initiative and specific opportunities to participate in the voting phase. The City of Durham partnered with a local grass-roots nonprofit advocacy group to share Durham voter data. Through this approach we were able to reach over 20,000 residents that were registered Democratic voters in the City of Durham.
In regards to our digital mapping solution, Mapseed, residents were able to map proposed project locations. We also utilized specific data points such as median household income, % of minority population and % of Spanish proficient residents to determine project location & score projects using an equity lens.
Lastly, voter registration consisted of completing a voter oath, providing a first and last name and zip code. Our voting partner PB Stanford of Stanford University collaborated to ensure votes were not manipulated or duplicated.
Conversation with Lide Amilibia Bergaretxe
Hello! Gongrats por this iniatiative. I have a questión: How much was the total budget of City of Durham? Thanks!
Thanks. The total budget is approximately $500,000,000 ($500 million).
Conversation with Governo Regional dos Açores - Vice Presidência do Governo, Emprego e Competitividade Empresarial
Congratulations on the project! Can you tell us what are the practices used to involve the population in such a representative way?
A multi-prong communication & outreach plan that includes a robust social media campaign, grass roots organizing, and integrating into existing community networks through community leaders. Some strategies that was implemented that is not included in the proposal includes:
- We did not just rely only having community assemblies to have residents brainstorm ideas and vote. We engaged people where they normally congregate. Example: In the southern region of the U.S, public transportation is still look upon as being for the underserved/low-income populations and is not really utilized by the middle class and rich. Based upon this knowledge, we engaged residents at the bus and train stations. With the U.S being considered a "melting pot" brings cultural opportunities and challenges. Our focus was to capitalize on those opportunities and engage diverse populations at their seasonal community festivals, bloc parties, place of worship, community grocery stores, canvassing, etc.
Thank you very much for your carefull explanation. Is there a platform where citizens can vote or is the voting process done on the ballot?
There were two ways in which residents could vote. Residents could vote online using the PB Stanford platform developed by Stanford University. Moreover, this included voting at home and using their phones to vote. Residents could also use paper ballots which practically mirrored the online voting. We understood that every resident did not have access to the internet so we wanted to make sure we provided another option for voting. That's why we relied on data to identify does underserved/low-income neighborhoods to meet people where they naturally congregate and provide them with an opportunity to vote. Volunteers and staff were also equipped with both iPads and paper ballots when they went out to these communities to get residents to vote.
Once again thank you for your thoughtful explanation!
Good luck with your project.
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