Participatory Budgeting
Cheers RVA!
A hot week ahead with a high of 90 today. It’s not looking good for getting rain anytime soon, possibly by the weekend. Keep drinking water, and I guess tell your garden to do the same.
the juice:
Richmond will have participatory budgeting next fiscal cycle to allow residents to have a say in how a part of the city’s budget is used.
The idea of having citizens directly participate in how tax dollars are spent is not new.
In Poland, residents in each city vote on how 1% of the budget is spent (with a bicycle-sharing program investment winning one year in Szczecin, Poland, a city of 400k. Many European cities lend themselves easily to pedestrian and cycling infrastructure due to the nature of non-car-centric urban design. But Richmond started the same way…I diverge…)
The city of Richmond has set aside $3 million, with each of the nine districts having $200k allotted and $1.2 million for the city as a whole.
The effort to involve citizens directly is great. It encourages the public to not only determine how a small fraction of the budget is spent, but to be engaged with the various wants/needs of the community and associated costs.
You can take a short survey to suggest an idea here.
the pulp:
Man dies on Northside in Henrico on Garland Avenue. Police responded to a report of a shooting and are classifying the incident as a homicide, per channel 8
Audit suggests RPS is spending millions on bus driver overtime pay, from 12 on your side. In 2022, driver pay was upped from $17.68 to $23 to help combat the shortage of drivers. The school board will review the audit again at tonight’s meeting.
the haps:
The Richmond Ivy are 5th in their division with 5 wins and 4 losses.
The Kickers are 8th in the USL1 with 2 wins, 3 draws, and 4 losses.
The Flying Squirrels are 9th in the Eastern League with a 30-33 record.
the vibe:
The Euro Cup is underway. Yes, Penny Lane Pub is open at 9 am on the weekends, but not until noon on weekdays.
Have a great day RVA!
Hey thanks for reading. Feedback appreciated.