4/13/23, Asbury Park, NJ – Voting results from the City of Asbury Park’s first Participatory Budget program were announced by Mayor and Council at last night’s City Council meeting. The program allowed residents age 14 and older to vote on how to spend $250,000 in capital funds to improve community spaces. Almost 900 resident votes were received by mail, drop off and online. Voters were able to choose between 14 project ideas listed on the ballot.
The winning project idea is the creation of art park benches (229 votes). Work will begin on finalizing details and costs of the idea, as well as securing any required approvals prior to implementation. Once final costs are determined, additional projects may be funded. For a full list of results, visit www.cityofasburypark.com/pb.
“We were pleased to see how engaged our community was with our first-ever Participatory Budget Program – from submitting ideas, presenting them to the public and voting, our citizens made the most of the opportunity,” said Councilmember Eileen Chapman, “Council and City Staff learned an incredible amount from our first time implementing a Participatory Budget Program in Asbury Park and look forward to applying our learnings to make the next round even smoother.”
“Participatory Budgeting gives everyone who lives here a say in improving our community spaces and we hope the program will continue to grow,” said Mayor John Moor, “We’re thankful to Councilmember Eileen Chapman for bringing the idea to Council and for her hard work in initiating the program in Asbury Park.”
Participatory Budgeting, a democratic process where community members recommend to their government how to spend part of the public budget, is currently practiced in over 3,000 cities around the world, mostly at the municipal level. The process allows for the equitable distribution of funds through direct resident representation and input from community members.
For more information the City of Asbury Park Participatory Budget Program, visit www.cityofasburypark.com/pb
For more information on the City of Asbury Park, visit www.cityofasburypark.com