For the first time, Columbus residents will have a direct say in how a portion of the city’s budget is spent.
The City of Columbus has officially launched Our Voice, Our Choice Budget, a new participatory budgeting program that gives residents the opportunity to propose neighborhood improvement projects and vote on which ones receive funding.
The pilot program sets aside $9 million from the city’s capital budget, with $1 million allocated to each of Columbus’ nine City Council districts.
Rather than city leaders deciding every project, residents will help shape what gets built in their own neighborhoods.
How it works
The process begins with community members submitting ideas for projects they believe would improve their neighborhoods.
After the submission period closes, volunteer Budget Delegates will work alongside city staff to review ideas, determine whether they’re feasible, estimate costs, and turn the strongest submissions into official proposals.
Beginning November 2, residents will be able to vote on which projects they want funded in their district. The city says winning projects are intended to be completed within 12 to 18 months.
Who can participate?
Residents 14 and older can submit project ideas. Anyone 16 or older who lives in a City Council district can vote on the final proposals for their district. The city says voters will need to verify their eligibility during the voting process.
Residents 14 and older can also volunteer to become Budget Delegates, helping review submissions and develop them into projects for the ballot.
What kinds of projects qualify?
The funding comes from the city’s capital budget, meaning projects must create or improve something tangible that the city can build or purchase.
That could include:
- Sidewalk improvements
- Street lighting
- Safer intersections
- Park upgrades
- Street trees and landscaping
- Stormwater improvements
- Community spaces
- Public building improvements
Projects should generally cost $1 million or less, though residents don’t need to know the exact cost before submitting an idea.
You don’t need a detailed proposal
If you’ve ever noticed something your neighborhood needs, the city says you don’t need engineering plans or a formal proposal to submit an idea.
A submission only needs enough information to explain:
- What the project is
- Where it would be located
- The problem it would solve
- Why it’s important to the community
Residents can submit project ideas through the city’s Our Voice, Our Choice Budget platform.
Whether it’s adding a missing sidewalk, improving lighting in a neighborhood park, planting more trees, or making a dangerous intersection safer, this is the first time Columbus residents have had the opportunity to directly shape how part of the city’s capital budget is spent.
