This month, a second of Albuquerque’s nine city council districts will start piloting participatory budgeting, a democratic process in which community members, including kids, decide how to spend part of the city’s budget.
District 1 City Councilor Stephanie Telles, who represents part of Albuquerque’s West Side, says she’ll contribute $1.7 million to the process. That’s the entire amount that’s set aside for each city council member to decide how to spend.
“It’s not a new model,” Telles said. “Councilor [Nichole] Rogers [representing District 6] really has been at the forefront of launching this type of democratic process in how we spend public dollars, and I just love it so much.”
In District 6, voting on participatory budgeting projects is underway and wraps up at the end of this month.
To make it easier for her constituents to participate in the kickoff meeting on September 10, Councilor Telles will have interpretive services, as well as a potluck, and will be bringing a main dish herself.
“If you’re going to come,” said Telles, “please come hungry, and feel free to bring… a little snack for everybody.”
Children are welcome, and anyone aged 14 or older is encouraged to apply to serve on the district’s participatory budgeting steering committee.
“We're elected to make hard decisions on behalf of the people that we represent because who has time to do it all, right?” said Telles. “But when you think about participatory budgeting – at its core, at its foundation – it's about the community participating in the projects that they want to see in their neighborhoods.”
So, to support District 1’s steering committee, Councilor Telles’s office says committee members will have access to childcare, interpretation, food, transportation, access to hybrid meetings, and other support as needed.
