Astoria Residents Can Submit Ideas For $1.05M In Public Projects

ASTORIA, QUEENS — The time of year has come again for Astorians to decide how to spend $1.05 million in their neighborhood.

The participatory budgeting process — which has residents propose and vote on local public projects — has opened in District 22, which encompasses Astoria, Rikers Island, and parts of Jackson Heights, Woodside, and East Elmhurst.

Most of the District 22 participatory budget, or $1 million, will go towards long-lasting public physical infrastructure projects, like upgrades to schools and libraries. There’s also $50,0000 allocated for discretionary expense funding, which local organizations can spend on community classes and projects.

Council Member Tiffany Cabán, who was sworn in as the District 22 leader earlier this month, has supported what she calls “the people’s budget” since her bid for District Attorney in 2019, and is now committing to the process as a Council Member; following in the footsteps of her predecessor, Costa Constantinides.

"As a new City Council Member, I am looking forward to organizing members of our diverse community to decide how city dollars are spent, and ultimately, what the future of our city should look like," she said in a statement.

A total of 10 citywide districts are participating in participatory budgeting this year, including one other in Queens: District 28, led by Council Member and possible Council speaker, Adrienne Adams.

Cabán also thanked Comptroller-elect Brad Lander, who helped bring participatory budgeting to the city in 2011, for ensuring that this year’s process is "streamlined... and facilitates greater engagement.”

This year, the participatory budget includes a new interactive platform that will let community members submit ideas and explore or comment on submissions.

Neighbors need to create an NYC-ID account in order to access the platform, which they can use to submit ideas through the end of this year.

Once ideas are submitted, the new online platform will host a vote in the spring to decide winners for each district.

Cabán encouraged neighbors who would like to get involved to sign up for volunteer roles, which help lead community outreach, or to learn more about at an in-person event this weekend; her team is meeting at Hallets Cove Playground from 10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 19th, to talk more about participatory budgeting and give people a chance to sign up to volunteer or submit ideas.

Find the District 22 page for this year's participatory budget here.