After Evanston’s September election on participatory budgeting designated $2,915,000 in funds, the city’s Participatory Budgeting Leadership Committee voted to allocate the remainder of its funding at its Wednesday night meeting. Through the participatory budgeting process, anyone with a “meaningful connection” to Evanston was able to vote on how the $3 million would be allocated toward.
Evanston received $43 million from the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021 and 2022 to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hoping to identify areas of need, the city put $3 million toward a novel solution: participatory budgeting. The program allows residents, with the support of city staff and volunteers, to submit their ideas for funding.