Ideas in Action
Ideas in Action is the City's new Participatory Budgeting initiative, where Bostonians can decide how to spend a part of the City’s budget.
Latest Update
PB BALLOT PROPOSALS AND VOTING PHASE
Attention Boston residents! We are excited to share with you the final proposals for Cycle One of the City’s Participatory Budgeting (PB) process. Please review the proposed projects and understand how each can benefit your community.
Stay tuned for the launch of the PB Voting Phase, which will happen between January 15 and February 15, 2025. You will be able to vote for up to five of your favorite projects online or in-person at City Hall. Also, assistance for in-person voting will be available at Boston library branches.
Make your voice heard! This is your opportunity to help decide how $2 million of the City’s budget will be spent on community-driven projects across the City.
Voting Requirements
- All Boston residents age 11 and older, regardless of citizenship, are eligible to vote.
- Voting is limited to one vote per resident.
- Each resident is encouraged to vote for up to five (5) projects.
Stay tuned for more updates as we approach the voting dates!
Cycle One Idea Submissions
From July 1, 2024 to August 15, 2024, the Office of Participatory Budgeting asked Boston residents how they would spend $2 million to benefit their communities.
This dashboard allows you to explore the ideas submitted as part of Cycle One of the Participatory Budgeting process. You can navigate the dashboard by selecting one of the nine (9) Community Priorities or explore all the ideas in one page.
About Ideas In Action
Ideas in Action is an opportunity for Bostonians to unite in open dialogue about budget priorities, engage in identifying community-initiated project ideas, and take collective action to help decide what projects get implemented for the benefit of the City.
Through collaboration with City Departments, partnerships with community organizations, and with guidance from our External Oversight Board (EOB), the Office of Participatory Budgeting (OPB) plans to host yearly Participatory Budgeting cycles in order to:
- Offer opportunities for the public to propose community-centered project ideas to address local priorities and vote on those they would like to see funded with the Office’s budget, and
- Gauge and identify resident priorities to help inform future City and departmental budget investments.
For this first pilot year, OPB and its Board have created a “Participatory Budgeting Rulebook” to provide a comprehensive framework and standard set of rules and operations for this new initiative in Boston.
Have question or need assistance? Contact:
Timeline
|
Dates |
Phase |
|---|---|
|
July 1 - August 15, 2024 |
Submit your ideas by:
|
| October - November, 2024 Visioning Forums and Online Engagement |
Help determine which ideas will make it to the final ballot by attending Visioning Forums in October and November 2024. |
| January, 2025 Public Voting Period |
Vote on your top 5 ideas to be funded in January 2025! |
|
February, 2025 and onward |
Track progress of PB funded projects on the website and through the annual report. |
Past Updates
Past UpdatesIDEA COLLECTION UPDATE
From July 1 to August 15, 2024, Ideas in Action received over 1,200 project ideas from Boston residents! Over the summer, the Office of Participatory Budgeting collaborated with the City’s Data Analytics team to review the 1,200+ resident ideas. Ideas were organized into nine (9) Community Priorities based on similar themes to enhance and facilitate their review. Original resident ideas will be retained through the proposal development process. Please visit the PB Portal to review all project ideas submitted. See the mid-cycle evaluation findings here!
Here is the breakdown of where ideas came from:
PB PROPOSAL FEEDBACK
During the month of October 2024, the Office of Participatory Budgeting (OPB) held series of Visioning Forums in partnership with community organizations in East Boston, Dorchester, and Roxbury. At these events, residents helped draft 15 ballot proposals from the 1,200+ ideas collected between July 1, and August 15.
Please share your feedback on any or all of these 15 draft proposals. We value your input and encourage you to share your thoughts to help shape these project ideas for PB Voting in January 2025.
Comments through this online form will be open until Friday, November 22.
IMPORTANT NOTE: After the public comment period, the Office will work to incorporate feedback and review proposals with relevant City Departments to ensure feasibility and determine approximate costs. During this time, proposal details may need to be further refined. All proposals will need to be certified by the City's Chief Financial Officer before being finalized on the PB Ballot, as per the City's PB Ordinance.
If you have any questions, please email PB@boston.gov.
Who can submit project ideas?
All City of Boston residents can submit an idea regardless of age!
What type of projects can you propose?
- Projects are limited to a one-time expense and do not create new permanent positions
- Project Proposals may include programs and services as well as physical infrastructure
- Infrastructure projects on private, state, or federal property are not eligible, such as projects concerning the Department of Conservation and Recreation, or the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority.
- Project ideas related to programs and services in non-City owned facilities are eligible
- Project ideas must be feasible to implement, and be consistent with existing City policies, laws, regulations, and the Participatory Budgeting Ordinance
- Projects must be implemented or managed by the appropriate City Department or agency receiving direct budgeting appropriations
What are some examples of ideas?
Ideas may include programs and services, as well as physical infrastructure, technological improvements, and community enhancements.
Eligible Idea Examples:
- Programming to strengthen mental health among Boston Youth
- Expand the City's Wicked Free WiFi network to reach more low-income areas
- Digital literacy classes for senior citizens to learn new skills and promote social connections
- Enhance public spaces through infrastructure projects (public art, street trees, benches, ect.)
Ineligible Idea Examples
- Paying for the salary of a public employee to provide services
- Repairing a privately owned building
- Helping an organization renovate a space that it rents from a private landlord
- Helping a religious institution repair its sanctuary
- Increase the frequency of MBTA buses or trains
VISIONING FORUMS
In partnership with local community organizations, the Office of Participatory Budgeting will host three (3) in-person Visioning Forums, where residents will have the opportunity to engage with each other and relevant City Departments to review, discuss, and assess the feasibility and impact of all ideas under each of these Community Priorities.
The objective for each Visioning Forum is for residents to identify and draft five (5) project proposals, for a total 15 projects for PB Voting in January 2025. For those who cannot attend but want to provide feedback, an online meeting will be hosted in early November for public comment.
VISIONING FORUMS UPDATE
The Office of Participatory Budgeting (OPB) invites Boston residents to a virtual public meeting scheduled for Thursday, November 7, at 6:00 p.m.
During this meeting, the Office and its External Oversight Board will present and discuss the 15 draft proposals that emerged from a series of Visioning Forums hosted in partnership with community organizations in East Boston, Dorchester, and Roxbury throughout the month of October 2024. Residents will have the opportunity to share your thoughts about the 15 draft proposals. There will also be an option to provide written comments online from Friday, November 8, to Friday, November 15.
After the public comment period, the Office of Participatory Budgeting will work with relevant City Departments to ensure the feasibility of each proposal and determine approximate costs before PB Voting in January 2025.
Virtual Public Meeting Details
6:00 p.m. | Thursday, November 7, 2024
Join the Zoom
Visioning Forum #1:
- Date and Time: October 18, 2024 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- Location: 31 Liverpool St, East Boston, MA 02128
- Hosts: Maverick Landing Community Services and Neighbors United for a Better East Boston (NUBE)
- Community Priorities:
- Expanding Economic Opportunities
- Housing Support and Resources
- Community Health and Wellbeing
- Register Here
Visioning Forum #2:
- Date and Time: October 24, 2024 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- Location: 31 Heath St, Boston, MA 02130
- Host: Union Capital Boston
- Community Priorities:
- Transportation Safety and Access Initiatives
- Urban Greening and Environmental Initiatives
- Public Space Enhancements and Maintenance
- Register Here (AT CAPACITY)
Visioning Forum #3:
- Date and Time: October 30, 2024 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Location: 21 Balfour St, Dorchester, MA 02125
- Host: Center for Teen Empowerment
- Community Priorities:
- Youth Development and Opportunity
- Inclusive Community Spaces and Cultural Enrichment Programs
- Community Resources and Social Equity Programs
- Register Here
NOTE: Because of limited space, and to allow others to participate, please register for one Visioning Forum only.
PB External Oversight Board Public Virtual Meeting:
- Date: Thursday, November 7, 2024 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Topic: Presenting the 15 draft proposals for PB Voting in January
- Public comment available during meeting and one (1) week via email
- Zoom Link
PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT
Thank you to all who submitted feedback on the 15 draft proposals! We have reviewed your comments and have been working closely with relevant City Departments over the past few weeks to assess the feasibility of all project ideas and add estimated costs.
The final proposals for the PB ballot will be presented at our next External Oversight Board meeting this Wednesday, December 18, at 6 p.m. Here is the meeting information in case you can join us
Youth Lead the Change
In Boston, Youth Lead the Change (YLC) was established in 2014 as the City’s first youth-led Participatory Budgeting initiative. The process is currently led by the Office of Youth Engagement and Advancement and invests one million dollars of the City’s capital budget to give young people the power to decide how to spend it for the benefit of their communities. Boston resident youth aged 12 to 22 who live, work, or go to school in the City are able to participate in the process by submitting ideas and voting on the finalists.
Explore Youth Lead the Change's journey, including their processes, proposals, and completed projects from 2014 to the present, here.
