 Voting to Be Held Feb 15 through March 15
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – (February 11, 2019) Residents of Metro Council Districts 6 and 8 will vote on how to spend $200,000.00 in public funds,$100,000.00 in each district, under the Our Money, Our Voice participatory budgeting initiative. Open to all districts 6 and 8 residents fourteen years of age and older, voting will be held at District Voter Expos in each council district and on-line.
Our Money, Our Voice is being piloted using $200,000 in capital infrastructure funds set aside by Council President David James (District 6) and Councilman Brandon Coan (District 8), $50,000 in funds from Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness, and $50,000 from the Humana Foundation.
Community residents will decide how to spend the money for physical improvement projects in each of the districts. The aim is to implement participatory budgeting throughout the city if the pilot project proves successful.
“Our Money, Our Voice empowers neighborhood residents to make real decisions about how real money is spent in their neighborhoods,” said District Councilman and Council Chair, David James. “The project strengthens democracy by getting people involved in the work of government and in the decisions that effect their lives,” said District 8 Councilman Brandon Coan.
On-line voting will begin February 15 and will continue through March 15. District 6 and 8 residents who wish to make digital absentee votes should sign up with Mobileserve to request a voter access code for an on-line ballot.
District 6
February 16 South Louisville Community Center
2911 Taylor Blvd.
11:00 a.m. -2p.m.
February 21
California Community Center
1600 St. Catherine St.
5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
February 23
Victory Park Lodge
1051 S. 23rd St.
11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
February 28
Kling Center
219 W. Ormsby St.
11:00 a.m. -2:00 p.m.
March 2
South Louisville Community Center
2911 Taylor Blvd.
11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
March 5
La Casita Center
223 E. Magnolia Ave.
10 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
March 7
California Community Center
1600 St Catherine St.
5:30 – 8:00 p.m.
March 9
Victory Park Lodge
1051 S. 23rd St.
11:00 a.m. -2:00 p.m.
March 14
Kling Center
219 W. Ormsby St.
11:00 a.m. -2:00 p.m.
District 8
February 16
Highland Community Ministries
1228 E. Breckinridge St.
11:00 a.m. - 2 p.m.
February 23
Bellarmine University – Centro & McGowan Hall
2001 Newburg Rd.
11:00 -2 p.m.
February 28
Highland Community Ministries
1228 E. Breckinridge St.
5:30 – 8 p.m.
March 2
Bowman Field Administration Building
2815 Taylorsville Rd.
11:00 a.m. -2 p.m.
March 7 Bellarmine University – Centro & McGowan Hall
2001 Newburg Rd.
11:00 a.m. - 2 p.m.
The Our Money Our Voice initiative began in Louisville in August. Volunteers and Center for Health Equity staff knocked on doors, visited organizations, and attended neighborhood events to gather ideas from residents for ways to best spend public funds. More than 400 ideas were collected.
In the ensuing months community volunteers researched the cost, feasibility, and equity of each idea. The ideas that were over budget, those that were already planned or were otherwise not eligible were moved off the list. The remaining ideas were then placed on the ballot that residents will now vote on. Projects include such things as alleyway improvements, basketball court renovations, public drinking fountains and playground renovations.
Originating in Porto Alegre, Brazil in 1989, participatory budgeting is a way for members of a community to work together to better meet their needs while having a direct say in government decisions. In the process, people often find new ways of interacting with government and with each other to create solutions for all. Participatory budgeting has been practiced in the United States since 2009 in such cities as Hartford, CT; Greensboro, NC; New York and Chicago.
To learn more about Our Money, Our Voice visit www.OurMoneyOurVoice.org. |
