Portlanders, it’s time you have a greater say in our city’s budget

announcing community budgeting for all initiative petition

Can we agree that all Portlanders deserve to have a direct voice and vote on issues that impact our lives? Well, have we got an opportunity for you!

In 2018, our community organizing class at Portland State University learned about a group of high school students making decisions about their schools budget. The student’s excitement was captivating. They wanted to be civically engaged and help shape the school’s future for the betterment of everyone, and it was through participatory budgeting that they got to fulfill that vision.

Now, to the full circle moment: It is with great excitement that we’re announcing that Next Up, alongside Participatory Budgeting Oregon and East County Rising, have launched the initiative petition Community Budgeting for All (PDX23OL-03) to give Portlanders a greater voice and vote in our city government so we can ensure our tax dollars make our lives better. 

Portland is the last major West Coast city that does not provide residents with an opportunity to directly shape the City’s budget through participatory budgeting. The initiative petition would provide all residents, including young people, immigrants and refugees, a direct voice and vote to allocate 2 percent of the city’s general fund discretionary budget through an annual or biannual participatory budgeting process.

Participatory budgeting has funded countless projects that reflect real time community needs such as childcare, culturally specific youth programming and centers, transportation, community-based violence reduction programs, affordable housing support, civic engagement education, urban farms, and so much more. 

Since then, we've seen thousands of projects across the country demonstrating that our voices are powerful. Across the US – from Seattle, New York, to Chicago thousands of amazing projects that community members have imagined, innovated, voted to fund, have come to fruition in partnership with City staff.

Our communities deserve a future of self-determination, autonomy, and joy.  But it will take hundreds of people to achieve this vision - will you sign up to volunteer and gather signatures with us today? No previous experience is necessary, we will support you along the way.

Thousands of governments globally are successfully using participatory budgeting to amplify residents' voices and improve their communities - Portland can do it too.

In community,

Isabela Villarreal

Policy and Communications Director