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Read the press release here.

22nd Ward Residents to Get a Voice in How Infrastructure Money is Spent

By Chloe Riley | November 13, 2013 9:22am
 Ald. Ricardo Muñoz (22nd) will hold his first community meeting on the participatory budgeting process Saturday.
Ald. Ricardo Muñoz (22nd) will hold his first community meeting on the participatory budgeting process Saturday.
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DNAinfo/Chloe Riley

LITTLE VILLAGE — Residents of the 22nd Ward will get more input on how city money is spent on capital projects in the ward as Ald. Ricardo Muñoz rolls out his participatory budgeting plan.

“I’ve been thoroughly impressed in how it’s rolling out in other wards. It’s a great organizing model because it gets the neighborhoods involved,” Muñoz said.

In 2009, Ald. Joe Moore (49th) was the first alderman in Chicago — and the United States — to allow residents to vote on how to spend the yearly $1.3 million allocated to him by the city for ward infrastructure maintenance.  

Muñoz joins Alds. Leslie Hairston (5th), John Arena (45th) and James Cappleman (46th), who all began using participatory budgeting systems last year.

Over the next two months, residents from the Little Village, North Lawndale and Vittum Park neighborhoods have the opportunity to attend community meetings where they will form committees to decide which projects are worthy of attention.

Come spring, 22nd Ward residents can then cast their votes on which of those projects should take priority.

Following Moore’s model, Muñoz will allow residents a vote on how to spend $1 million, but will guarantee that a portion of that money be used for street resurfacing, which Muñoz said has been especially bad across the ward this year.

Participatory budgeting meetings for the 22nd Ward will be held:

• Noon-2 p.m. Saturday at the Salvation Army, 5036-52 W. 47th St.

• Noon-2 p.m. Nov. 23 at Madero Middle School, 3202 W. 28th St.

• 6-8 p.m. Dec. 3 at Little Village Lawndale High School, 3120 S. Kostner Ave.

• 6-8 p.m. Dec. 4 at New Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 4157 W. Cermak Road.

• 10 a.m.- noon Dec. 5 at La Villita Community Church, 2300 S. Millard Ave.