Dear Council President Griffin and members of Cleveland City Council,

I stand with Participatory Budgeting Cleveland's (PB CLE) call for participatory budgeting in Cleveland. Together we can make our city’s budget more democratic, inclusive, and transparent.

With record low voter turnout and a poverty rate of 30.8%, it’s clear that the status quo on public spending isn’t working for most Clevelanders. That’s why PB CLE is asking for $30.8M from ARPA funds for participatory budgeting.

Participatory budgeting (PB) is a first step toward addressing these dire problems. By engaging residents to take leadership on public spending in their neighborhoods, PB promotes more equitable and efficient use of public resources that is responsive to resident needs. PB has also been shown to increase civic engagement, build bridges between residents and local government, and foster new community leaders.

Residents are the experts on what their communities need. That’s why we need PB here in Cleveland!

If you have any questions, please connect with us at pbclecoalition@gmail.com.

#PBCLE #CleForAll