Boston Launches $2 Million Participatory Budgeting Office With Citywide Vote Planned for January

BOSTON -- May 28, 2024, Boston's new Office of Participatory Budgeting faces council skepticism over equity and process integrity ahead of a July launch. Director Renato Costello and Chief Financial Officer Ashley Groffenberger told the City Council's Committee on Ways and Means that the office will make $2 million available for community-chosen projects in its first cycle, with idea collection opening in July, visioning forums in the fall, and a citywide resident vote planned for the entire month of January 2025. Council Member Edward M. Flynn called the two-million-dollar allocation "a significant amount of money" for a department with no track record, while Council Member Erin J. Murphy demanded a list of nonprofits already in conversations with the office and challenged whether well-resourced advocacy groups would dominate the process. Council Member John FitzGerald argued the binding-vote structure could give participating residents more direct budget authority than elected councilors. The office entered fiscal year 2024 with roughly $4 million on hand after two years of unspent appropriations rolled forward into a dedicated special revenue fund authorized by the establishing ordinance.