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(A) The Office shall study the best practices for creating an inclusive and equitable participatory budgeting process in the city and, in collaboration with the Board, work to produce Rule Book. In doing so, the Office shall consult with Boston residents, experts. and other cities that have established participatory budgeting processes to incorporate best practices and policies into the Rule Book. This Rule Book shall outline the policies and procedures of the Participatory Budgeting Process, including measures that align with the city goals of achieving and embedding equity and inclusion into city practices and building collective capacity on issues of racial and social justice. The Rule Book shall be a standard set of rules and operations that will include, but are not limited to: outlining project solicitation; project nomination; project proposals; project submission; and other processes that would be appropriate for the Rule Book.
The Office shall annually review, amend and update the Rule Book as needed, in consultation and with the majority approval of the Board, The Office shall annually update the City Council on the participatory budget process through an executive summary submitted at the end of the fiscal year.
(B) Public hearings of the Board shall be planned so as to maximize citizen attendance including a preference to hold hearings in the evenings or off-site from City Hall, as well as ensuring language accessibility for city residents. Notice of all public hearings of the Board shall be posted publicly on the city website and published once a week for two weeks preceding a hearing in a newspaper of general circulation in the city.
(C) Participatory budgeting proposals shall be limited to one-time, non-recurring programs, shall not include the creation of new permanent positions, must be feasible to implement, and shall be implemented by the appropriate City Department or Agency with jurisdiction for the project being proposed. Proposals that would require multi-year funding may make payments to a special revenue fund and can accept and expend additional grant funds as they are awarded.
(D) Participatory budget proposals shall include cost estimates for implementation and be provided by the Board and Director in a timeframe that aligns with the city’s regular budget process and are subject to appropriation.
(E) Proposals with estimated costs will be reviewed in advance by an appropriate City Department or Agency and will be certified by the city’s Chief Financial Officer. The Office may consult with appropriate city staff to support the development of proposals.
(F) The Office shall regularly report on the uses of the funds, map the geographic distribution of funded projects, and study the economic and demographic breakdown of benefitting areas. It shall make such analysis and the underlying data available on a city website on at least an annual basis in a public hearing held by the Oversight Board.
(Ord. 2023 c.2)
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