CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A new pilot program in Mecklenburg County will put millions of dollars in the hands of residents to decide what projects should be done in their districts.
It's called 'Participatory Budgeting,' money set aside for residents to have direct participation in deciding how it's spent.
The county's budget director, Adrian Cox, gave an update about the pilot program to county commissioners at their annual budget retreat on Friday.
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The board's priorities haven't changed on the big-ticket items. They still want to help fund more affordable housing, continue their efforts in helping the environment, expand Meck Pre-K, improve educational outcomes in public schools, improve and expand workforce development opportunities, and reduce racial disparities, among other things.
The pilot program helps to focus on the smaller things residents would like to see.
"It's an opportunity for them to think outside the box about things they can do to improve their particular districts," Chairman George Dunlap said.
The program will set aside $3 million. Each of the six districts in Mecklenburg County will get $500,000. Residents in six volunteer groups, that are already formed, will decide what projects they'd like to see happen in their district.
"So, there's plenty of things that could be done," Cox said. "Could be some improvements in parks, could be some work in playgrounds, those sorts of things, or perhaps something in one of our libraries."
The groups will turn in proposals to the county and staff will determine which ones are feasible, legal, and within the budget. Each project can cost up to $125,000.
However, there have already been some problems.
"They want to do all these things that the city is responsible for and so there's bickering among them," Commissioner Elaine Powell said, who also serves as vice-chair on the board.
County staff is educating the groups about the responsibilities the county holds in hopes residents can make the change they want to see.
The county said the final proposals will be voted on by the public in May.
Contact Hunter Sáenz at hsaenz@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
WCNC Charlotte is part of seven major media companies and other local institutions producing I Can’t Afford to Live Here, a collaborative reporting project focused on solutions to the affordable housing crisis in Charlotte. It is a project of the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative, which is supported by the Local Media Project, an initiative launched by the Solutions Journalism Network with support from the Knight Foundation to strengthen and reinvigorate local media ecosystems. See all of our reporting at charlottejournalism.org.