Commission discusses Justice 50 participatory budgeting share and potential outreach role

Staff updated the commission that Justice 50 requires reserving 10% of the total capital-project budget for a participatory budgeting process and that the policy directs 50% of capital benefits toward climate-justice communities. Staff said the city’s participatory-budget working group is developing a proposal for presentation to council before the formal budget cycle, and commissioners discussed whether and how the commission could support outreach and provide structured feedback.

"Justice 50 sets forward the requirement that 50% of the total capital project budget benefit climate justice communities," a staff member said, and added that reserving 10% of capital funding for participatory budgeting was a central design element the working group is addressing. Staff and commissioners noted last year had no capital project budget (so 10% would have been zero) and said the working group is now designing outreach plans and selection criteria for proposals.

Commissioners debated submission and eligibility rules for the participatory process: some argued for broad submission windows to capture diverse ideas, while others urged basic exclusion criteria (for example, items that are illegal or that benefit only a single individual). Several commissioners said they would like the working group to present a near-final outreach plan and eligibility criteria to the commission so the commission can provide targeted feedback before finalization. Commissioners also proposed geographically dispersed community events, library installations for idea collection, and workshops to translate resident ideas into ballot-ready proposals.

Staff emphasized the working group’s aim to reach people who do not usually participate in city governance and noted the significant outreach and implementation capacity required. Commissioners asked whether the commission could provide staffing or event support; members agreed to consider which activities they could realistically commit to and requested that a representative of the participatory-budget group present to the commission at a future meeting for formal feedback.

No formal decisions were made; the working group will continue designing the participatory process and staff will coordinate opportunities for the commission to review and comment on the outreach plan and selection criteria.