Participatory budgeting returns: Vote how to spend $ in White Center / North Highline!
“Participatory budgeting” is back, and your chance to vote is happening right now. Here’s the announcement we received from King County:
Residents and other community members in East Federal Way, East Renton, Fairwood, North Highline/White Center, and Skyway/West Hill are casting their votes this month to choose proposals for King County to fund and/or carry out in their traditionally underserved communities.
This is the county’s second round of Participatory Budgeting, a two-year, community-led process in which residents gather ideas from their neighbors, create proposals from those ideas, and hold a vote to decide which proposals to pay for with county funds. Each community vote takes place both online and in person at pop-up voting events.
Ballots are available in English and several other languages, and multi-lingual community members will be on hand at voting events to help explain the process.
The King County Council has made available a total of $11.8 million to be divided among the urban areas. This includes revenues from the marijuana tax, which benefit White Center and Skyway—so those areas receive larger shares of the funding.
From now through Oct. 31, anyone who lives, works, owns a business, receives services, goes to school, or worships in one of these five areas is encouraged to cast their vote to choose projects to benefit their community.
How to vote
Residents and other community members can vote in-person or online. Get more information about how to vote in your community. …
More on Participatory Budgeting
In 2021, the King County Council approved Executive Constantine’s proposal to try this new approach to community investment, which is centered on racial equity. It gives people who live, work, play, or worship in the county’s five urban unincorporated areas the chance to directly choose how more than $11 million is spent in their communities.
Participatory budgeting allows communities to identify, discuss, and prioritize public spending. Residents help decide how to spend money on capital projects (physical things that are bought, built, installed, or fixed up) or programs and services.
The Community Investment Budget Committee, a group of appointed residents from King County’s urban unincorporated areas, met virtually to create the framework for the new participatory budgeting process.
Where does the money come from?
The funds for the capital projects are backed by bonds. The funds for programs and services in North Highline/White Center and Skyway-West Hill come from King County’s general fund and are supported by marijuana retail sales tax revenue.
Learn more by visiting publicinput.com/yourvoiceyourchoice
As you’ll find when you click through to learn how to vote, you can do it in-person at pop-up events as well as online. Be sure to vote on BOTH WC/NH ballots – capital projects AND services. Here’s the list of the in-person events coming up:
*(Tue) October 8, 6 PM – 8 PM |Southwest Boys & Girls Club* (Kick-off Event) – 9800 8th Ave SW #105
*(Thu) October 17, 2 PM – 3 PM | White Center Library – CSA Office Hours* – 1409 SW 107th St
*(Thu) October 17, 5 PM – 8 PM | Art Walk Parade – Puffy Pandy to Roxbury St*
*(Sat) October 19, 6 PM -9 PM | Evergreen Aquatic Center – 606 SW 116th St
*(Thu) October 24, 2 PM – 6 PM | White Center Library* – 1409 SW 107th St
*(Wed) October 31, 6 PM – 8 PM | White Center Halloween Event (Block Party)
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