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Public vote to directly decide on $50k of City funds in community-led participatory budgeting pilot - Polls close January 20th


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#1 juliwhooo

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Posted 18 January 2018 - 10:31 AM

Residents of the CRD are invited to vote directly for how $50k will be budgeted towards making the city better. A small group of volunteers have been working with the City of Victoria to introduce participatory budgeting in municipal decision making since last May. Participatory budgeting is a democratic process in which a municipality allocates a portion of its budget for residents to propose and vote on community projects.

All projects proposals came from the community, in an open call for ideas last summer. Initial submissions were shortlisted based on feasibility and legality, in consultation with the City.  There are now eight diverse projects on the ballot, with voting open to CRD residents of all ages.

The shortlisted projects are:

  • An art and music program for seniors with dementia.

  • A pop-up garden and native bee art installation with educational workshops.

  • Solar power and batteries for the aquaponics system at the Compost Education Centre.

  • An employment training program, connecting vulnerable adults with local employers.

  • An arts program for marginalized people in the Victoria area.

  • A new electronic community resource board at Victoria High School to serve the Fernwood community.

  • A pedal-powered Victoria Bike Music Festival and summer concert series.

  • A community learning garden in the courtyard by the Downtown Branch of the Victoria Public Library.

The projects that receive the most votes from the community will receive funding. More information on the project and the vote can be found at www.victoria.ca/pbvic or in person at City Hall until January 20th.

Here's a video of what PB looks like in other cities https://www.youtube....h?v=dLrPJghHIzg
This year's process is a small pilot project, but if this is something Victoria wants to see, we'd love to keep it going.

As a volunteer steering committee member, I would love to hear people's thoughts on what they think about the concept. And don't forget to vote now!
Link to vote: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/pbvic

Link to project descriptions: https://goo.gl/fkyAVj


 

 
 



#2 Nparker

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Posted 18 January 2018 - 10:42 AM

Unless non-CoV residents can be identified as business/property owners in Victoria, why are all CRD residents allowed to have a say in how MY tax dollars are spent? Also, why is the voting open to residents of all ages? Does the CoV really think minors should play a role in deciding budgetary matters?


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#3 Matt R.

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Posted 18 January 2018 - 10:44 AM

Already voted. Enjoy your musical bicycle shows!

Matt.
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#4 RFS

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Posted 18 January 2018 - 11:58 AM

Already voted. Enjoy your musical bicycle shows!

Matt.


LOL! the choices are so funny. We must be living in a simulation there is no way this is real. Pedal powered musical bee garden for vulnerable meth heads gets my vote!
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#5 FirstTimeHomeCrier

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Posted 18 January 2018 - 11:59 AM

Unless non-CoV residents can be identified as business/property owners in Victoria, why are all CRD residents allowed to have a say in how MY tax dollars are spent? Also, why is the voting open to residents of all ages? Does the CoV really think minors should play a role in deciding budgetary matters?

 

1) CoV funding is not just from taxes. The 2017 budget anticipated a whopping $16 million in revenue from parking fees and fines. I'm willing to bet that more than $50,000 of those parking fees are paid by non-CoV residents.

2) Do you really think it's a bad thing to get young people interested in and engaged with municipal governance?

3) Voters can only choose from eight options that chosen ahead of time because the steering committee felt they would benefit CoV residents. If what voters choose is a crummy idea, that's on the steering committee for not vetting the choices well enough. It's not like we're going to end up with ice cream machines in every playground because the vote was hijacked by five-year-olds from Langford. 


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#6 RFS

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Posted 18 January 2018 - 12:02 PM

It's not like we're going to end up with ice cream machines in every playground because the vote was hijacked by five-year-olds from Langford.


Unironically a better idea than everything else on that list
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#7 Nparker

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Posted 18 January 2018 - 12:06 PM

1) CoV funding is not just from taxes. The 2017 budget anticipated a whopping $16 million in revenue from parking fees and fines. I'm willing to bet that more than $50,000 of those parking fees are paid by non-CoV residents...

Then perhaps the voting needs to be opened up globally because how much of that revenue came from outside the CRD?

2) Do you really think it's a bad thing to get young people interested in and engaged with municipal governance?

When they are old enough to vote and pay municipal taxes then they can have a say in how the budget is allocated.



#8 tjv

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Posted 18 January 2018 - 12:51 PM

When they are old enough to vote and pay municipal taxes then they can have a say in how the budget is allocated.

Are you saying only true property owners, not renters, in the CoV should have a say in the budget?

 

Anyway, I will vote for a 2nd Costco, maybe a 50k incentive for them to open a 2nd location somewhere in the CRD lol



#9 lanforod

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Posted 18 January 2018 - 01:05 PM

Does each municipality get 50k for a pet project?



#10 Mattjvd

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Posted 18 January 2018 - 04:53 PM

Are you saying only true property owners, not renters, in the CoV should have a say in the budget?

Anyway, I will vote for a 2nd Costco, maybe a 50k incentive for them to open a 2nd location somewhere in the CRD lol


Renters pay the property owner's tax. It's built into their rent cost.
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#11 dasmo

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Posted 18 January 2018 - 05:16 PM

Should have been a choice to try and polish up those god awful plates on our bridge.

#12 tjv

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Posted 18 January 2018 - 05:47 PM

Renters pay the property owner's tax. It's built into their rent cost.

yes and no.  At the current rents in this town, most landlords are losing money because the rent does not cover their entire costs so tenants may not be paying the property tax.  We have discussed this elsewhere so I am not going to beat a dead horse to death.  Just run the basic numbers and it will be apparent



#13 LJ

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Posted 18 January 2018 - 07:19 PM

Pay Helps $50k to quit? I think that would bring the most improvement to the city in the shortest length of time.


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Life's a journey......so roll down the window and enjoy the breeze.

#14 Mattjvd

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Posted 18 January 2018 - 07:51 PM

yes and no. At the current rents in this town, most landlords are losing money because the rent does not cover their entire costs so tenants may not be paying the property tax. We have discussed this elsewhere so I am not going to beat a dead horse to death. Just run the basic numbers and it will be apparent


If the landlord purchased today, absolutely.

#15 shoeflack

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Posted 18 January 2018 - 08:22 PM

Does the CoV really think minors should play a role in deciding budgetary matters?

 

I'm proud they do. Talk about disenfranchising young people. Heck, the City funds a youth council (as do most municipalities, btw) for the very reason of getting them involved in municipal matters. Because services for children and youth should have no input from those demographics, right?

 

You sound like any classic "get off my lawn" old fart. "I don't want no dang kids involved in how my tax dollars are spent!". Anyone can make a presentation to Council, fyi. Regardless of age. That's a good thing, not a bad thing.


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#16 shoeflack

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Posted 18 January 2018 - 08:27 PM

Renters pay the property owner's tax. It's built into their rent cost.

 

And there are a lot of 15 to 17-year old kids working jobs who are helping mom and/or dad pay the rent.



#17 Nparker

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Posted 18 January 2018 - 08:50 PM

..."I don't want no dang kids involved in how my tax dollars are spent!".

When they pay taxes they can have a  say how they are spent.



#18 shoeflack

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Posted 18 January 2018 - 09:16 PM

When they pay taxes they can have a  say how they are spent.

 

As I mention above, there are a lot that do. Unless you don't consider renters as taxpayers. Though I'm sure there are a lot of kids out there helping out with the mortgage too.

 

Minors also pay for many other City services.

 

How do you suggest the City regulate this very narrow definition of who can have an input on City budget matters? Because "paying taxes" is incredibly vague.



#19 JanionGuy

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Posted 18 January 2018 - 09:21 PM

i personally don't like survey monkey for these sort of voting situations (ie. civic monetary etc.).  One can log in from numerous email addresses, and IPs, thus allowing single users virtually unlimited sway.  Not democratic.  But with the choices available, personally not interested in taking the time to vote.



#20 Cassidy

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Posted 19 January 2018 - 07:18 AM

Does anybody actually believe this is appropriate?

There are no checks and balances in the voting process (as noted above), and Survey Monkey only shares the (questionable) direct results with the administrators of the survey, not the folks who voted.

 

This is a childish and unacceptable way to earmark $50K in taxpayer dollars.

And exactly how much research are the voters going to perform on each of the potential recipients? ... probably none beyond the one sentence description of what each group proposes to do.

This isn't how you give out grant money, this is throwing crap against a wall.

 

As well, a government body doesn't award grants to people or groups just because they happen to have an idea, and they win an unconfirmed Survey Monkey vote.

Recipients also have to have some sort of existing administration and financial infrastructure, and most important, an infrastructure that accurately documents how they spend the money, in order to audit their process after the fact for adherence to the terms of the grant.

Where are the details confirming the appropriate financial infrastructure of each candidate?

 

This is ridiculous.


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