What is participatory budgeting?



Participatory budgeting is a democratic process where community members decide how part of a budget is spent — giving real people power over real money!





Who can participate? Who is allowed to share ideas and vote?



We're casting a wide net for ideas. If you care enough about the Shirley Ave neighborhood to find yourself on this website, we'd love to hear your ideas. Whether you are a resident, worker, visitor, or a member of the business community, please feel free to add an idea to the map or to share it at one of our events. As for voting, we're asking that ONLY those who find themselves in the neighborhood on a daily to weekly basis cast their vote. Voting outreach will emphasize reaching neighborhood residents especially.





Where is the money coming from?



The $275,000 in funding that will be spent according to community feedback is coming from the City of Revere. $260,000 of that funding comes from a federal program called Community Development Block Grant or "CDBG" and $15,000 of the funding comes from a regional arts grant that the City recieved called Make It Public.





What types of projects are eligible for funding?



The funds for participatory budgeting come from two sources, each of which have their own set of rules about spending. While it’s good to keep these rules (or “eligible uses”) in mind during the community idea phase, we will also be screening for them at the proposal development phase of work -- so if you are on the fence about whether an idea qualifies, please share it!





The first source of funding is $15,000 from a grant called “Make it Public” which can fund public art projects ranging from murals, to sculptures, to projections on buildings and everything in between.





The second source of funding is $260,000 of federal funding from a program called the “Community Development Block Grant.” Funds from this source can be used to improve or add open space for seating or recreation; develop or expand outdoor exercise areas; increase accessibility for sidewalks, streets, ad parks; expand or improve walkways or trails (this may include adding lighting and other improvements); repurpose parking lots to allow for outdoor community activities; and transform local streets into spaces that welcome pedestrians and bicyclists while limiting vehicles to local traffic. Please note: Maintenance is never an eligible use of CDBG funds, so the funds cannot be used to do things like fill potholes or other routine repairs.





How is this different from past planning and community visioning?



Neighborhood partners, business leaders, residents, and the City have worked together in the past to plan and identify a vision for the neighborhood-- in fact, you can find many of those plans linked towards the bottom of our "Info" tab and within our project timeline. This effort will build on those plans and put YOU the community in the driver seat to cause direct action by assigning funds to those projects. That means that eligible projects prioritized by the community through this process will be implemented (will happen!) soon. The funds must all be assigned to projects before September 2024, although the City hopes that many projects selected by the community through this process are able to begin even sooner.





I'm an artist that would love to work on public art in the area. How can I get more involved?



We would love for you to join us at our community events on May 18 and June 10, please see the Timeline tab for more details. At these events, you can participate our discussion about potential project sites and proposals, helping to shape future public art from the very beginning. However, its important to note that the proposals voted on by the community for public funding will NOT be tied at that time to specific artists. Depending on the cost of the project, very specific public procurement guidelines will need to be followed in order to hire an artist for the project. But please know, we are here to help make that process transparent and as easy to participate in as possible. Please reach out to TDI Fellow for Revere Laura Christopher for more information.





I'm looking to get involved beyond adding to the map and voting. How can I help facilitate this process in my community?



Please reach out to TDI Fellow for Revere Laura Christopher to discuss the potential to support community outreach through activities such as community engagement at events, door knocking, and participating in the focus group that helps to estimate the cost of community ideas.