Ideas are starting to flow as residents of two London neighbourhoods contemplate how to spend $30,000 of city money for community enhancements.
The cash for the Neighbourhood Decision Making pilot project is being split evenly between Ward 13 and the Medway-area, which includes a portion of Ward 6 and Ward 7.
Throughout the summer the city will accept idea submissions online from residents. City staff will then vet and compile the ideas into a list that residents will vote on in the fall.
"People talk about cynicism and low voter turn out. For me, the solution to that is to directly involve people, give them opportunities to make decisions themselves," says Councillor Josh Morgan, who championed the pilot project. "Having a component of the municipal budget that involves community decision making takes cynicism head-on and challenges the community to use their talents and skills."
The money can be spent on anything from green spaces, to pilot a community program, or host a neighbourhood event, anything that would benefit the community.
Multiple ideas can be funded through the pilot project in each of the two areas as long as they don't exceed the $15,000 spending limit.
"If the first project on the list is only $3,000, then the second one with the most votes would go, then the third one, and the fourth one until all the money is gone," says Morgan. "Costing is very important. You'll want to know how much the project costs because you may not want to vote for a big one, you might want to vote for several small ones."
Heading into the idea submission phase the city put together a list of items and their cost that would benefit a neighbourhood.
"If people want a standard bicycle rack with concrete pad it's $1,500, if they were looking to do a community garden that's $10,000, planter boxes are $500 each, a half basketball court is $6,000," says Morgan. "We have listed a range of things and what they cost as a way to generate ideas."
Voting for the ideas is tentatively set for November. Implementation of the winning idea would begin immediately following the vote.
To submit an idea for the Medway neighbourhood click here. To submit an idea for Ward 13 click here.