New Rochelle approves pilot participatory budgeting program focused on high school area

City officials outlined a year-one participatory budgeting (PB) pilot on Jan. 13 that will let residents propose, vet and vote on capital projects in a limited area around New Rochelle High School and Huguenot Park.

Staff said the 2026 pilot is funded with $200,000 in the capital budget for awarded projects and $20,000 in operating funds to administer outreach, events and materials. The PB process will follow a rule book created by a steering committee: open call for ideas, technical feasibility review, ballot creation and a public vote (both electronic and in person).

The proposed steering committee would include 10 members serving two-year terms: seven voting residents appointed through an open call (including one adult per council district and a high-school-age youth selected by the mayor) and three nonvoting seats for a council member, a city staff member and a school-district representative. Staff said the rule book will specify age, residency verification and eligibility rules; the city intends voting to be limited to New Rochelle residents.

Year-one rationale: the staff presentation said focusing on the high-school area creates a manageable scope and engages students as a civics lesson; the schedule calls for appointments in March, rule-book finalization by May, idea generation May–August, vetting in September, voting in October and council approval of winning projects in November 2026.

Council members asked whether out-of-city participants could skew results; staff said residency controls and steering‑committee rules will be implemented to prevent ballot manipulation and that in-person outreach (e.g., block parties and school events) will be used to reach genuine residents. The council approved minor edits to PB ordinance language and moved the ordinance to the consent agenda for final action.