After working through the idea collection, brainstorming and project development phases, Participatory Budgeting, PB Durham, will now evaluate ideas to determine their feasibility over the coming months.

City Council committed $2.4 million for projects suggested by the community. A steering committee appointed by council created the rules in partnership with the Budget and Management Services Department to ensure the process is inclusive and meets local needs.

Ideas were submitted through public meetings, online tools, and resident discussions. Through April, staff and volunteers, called budget delegates, will evaluate the ideas to determine feasibility, need, and impact.

The City received more than 450 ideas for this initial effort. Volunteers have attended more than 50 community events, 10 festivals, and 30 community meetings engaging more than 2,000 residents since November 1.

Durham residents submitted a wide array of ideas. The most supported ideas included:

• “Sidewalks for Safety,” a project to install sidewalks in the Berini Drive area of the city – https://pbdurham.mapseed.org/idea/4962.
• The “Barnes Dance with Street Mural’ would include the installation of signaling and a street mural to make diagonal crossing more inviting - https://pbdurham.mapseed.org/idea/4571. 
• A third project would install playground equipment and a picnic shelter at Southern Boundaries Park - https://pbdurham.mapseed.org/idea/4761. 
• “Doulas for all - Job Creation and Maternal-Child Health improvement in one.”  This project would train under-employed and unemployed people in communities to hone their caregiving skills to assist pregnant women in their community - https://pbdurham.mapseed.org/idea/5405.
• ”Sidewalks on Hope Valley Road” would provide more sidewalks for pedestrians in the Hope Valley Road area of the city - https://pbdurham.mapseed.org/idea/4957.

The proposal development phase will run through April 2019. The remaining projects will then be placed on a ballot for a public vote in May.

For information, visit www.pbdurham.org, email [email protected]  or call 984-227-3395. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.