Richmond residents are calling for improved public spaces, enhanced pedestrian safety, and better access to healthy foods, based on submissions from a pilot program that allows the public to decide how $3 million in city funding is allocated.

The latest updates on the Richmond People’s Budget were discussed last week during a meeting with City Council’s Organizational Development Standing Committee. Civic Engagement Coordinator Leidiana Delgado said more than 1,900 ideas were collected from residents, both in person and virtually, last September.

Community ideas were grouped into seven categories, with public mobility accounting for more than 500 submissions. These included requests for new bus routes, additional speed bumps, and pothole repairs. Many of the suggestions aligned with City Council’s priorities.

“This overlap is the highlight of how the People’s Budget can serve as a valuable tool to amplify community voices and inform future city budget decision making,” Delgado said. “As the Council aims to represent the voice of the people, we strive to be one of the ears that listens.”

A survey of People’s Budget participants and two focus groups conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University evaluating the program support that notion. Respondents expressed broad approval of participatory budgeting, their experiences in the program, improved relationships with city officials, and the feeling that their contributions were valued.

Over 200 ideas for parks and recreation projects also were submitted, alongside over 100 for environment and safety, health and wellness, equity and other miscellaneous topics, with less than 100 suggestions focused on arts and culture.

These ideas have since been refined into proposals with the help of budget delegates for the nine council districts, with 10 to 15 projects per district planned to be on an upcoming ballot for community voting.

Projects for the 1st, 2nd and 4th council districts will be allocated $200,000 in funding, $300,000 is intended for the 3rd, 5th and 7th districts and the 6th, 8th and 9th districts will receive $500,000. Funding distribution was determined using the RVAgreen 2050 Social Vulnerability Map, as a way to focus resources in districts that would be most impacted by climate change.

While the program’s process so far was celebrated, concerns remained over ensuring inclusive involvement for residents, for officials and participants themselves. Multiple council members sought assurance that submissions reflected Richmond’s diverse residents, given the results of the VCU evaluation report.

Nearly 79% of participants in the VCU survey were white, significantly higher than the 43% of white residents in Richmond, according to census data. Participants also were more likely to be from some of Richmond’s more affluent ZIP codes, contrasting with the program’s focus on lower-income areas.

Survey and focus group participants also stressed the need for equity in the process, alongside greater transparency, feedback and funding. Suggestions to improve the People Budget’s visibility and participation included advertisements on public transit and TV, door-to-door outreach and listening events.

“I would suggest making a very heartfelt and concerted effort to ask citizens in public housing and in historically disadvantaged neighborhoods to contribute,” one respondent stated.

Efforts are underway to identify and staff locations for ranked community voting on projects, scheduled to take place Tuesday, April 1, through April 15. The process will include both in-person and virtual voting, along with multilingual access.