Wednesday, August 30, 2023   |   View in browser

How do you think Evanston should spend its budget?

I’m writing to invite you to take part in Participatory Budgeting, an exciting new initiative at the City of Evanston that puts some of our spending decisions directly in the public’s hands.

Here’s how it works: the City Council decided to allocate $3 million to this effort, which began with a yearlong process of idea generation and development. Over 300 people participated in initial idea-generation events, giving rise to 1,300 suggestions that were then fleshed out and narrowed down by a group of 70 community members working with City staff.

And now, it’s almost time to vote! All community members ages 14 and up are eligible to participate in the vote during the month of September. The election will be held online and in person at community centers, libraries, and other organizations, and there will also be two project expos where you can hear from community members who were involved in the development of proposals:

• The first project expo will be Sun., Sept. 10, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center

• The second project expo will be Sat., Sept. 23, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., at the Levy Senior Center

I hope you’ll make your voice heard so that Participatory Budgeting truly reflects the wishes of the whole community – again, sign up here to vote.

Best,

Daniel Biss
Mayor, City of Evanston
dbiss@cityofevanston.org