YOUR VOICE, YOUR CHOICE … and your dollars! Time for spending suggestions

This year’s Your Voice, Your Choice cycle just got going. The city’s announcement explains:

Now’s your chance to share ideas for small-scale park and street improvements in your neighborhood during Your Voice, Your Choice 2020. Seattle Department of Neighborhoods is asking community members to democratically decide how to spend $2 million of the City’s budget on these improvements.

Until March 18, community members age 11 and up (13 and up to participate online) who live, work, go to school, receive services, or participate in activities in Seattle can submit their idea online or in-person at any Seattle Public Library branch. Projects could include park benches, trail improvements, marked crosswalks, and sidewalk repair, to name a few. The only criteria are the project ideas focus on physical improvements to Seattle’s parks or streets, benefit the public, and cost $150,000 or less.

Once ideas are submitted, volunteers are recruited to turn the ideas into 8 – 10 proposals per council district. Then this summer, everyone will have the opportunity to vote for the top projects within their district. Of the $2 million budget, approximately $185,000 is allocated to each council district. The remaining funds are allocated to projects in underrepresented communities or Equity and Environment Initiative (EEI) Focus Areas.

Share your ideas today! You can learn more about the YVYC process and how to get involved on our webpage. For questions, email shaquan.smith@seattle.gov or call 206-256-5944.

In last year’s cycle, here’s what was proposed in District 1, here’s what was voted on, and here’s what won.

7 Replies to "YOUR VOICE, YOUR CHOICE ... and your dollars! Time for spending suggestions"

  • Chuck Jacobs February 19, 2020 (10:23 am)

    Widen and increase speed limits on major arterials, increases commerce and improves quality of life.  relocate bike paths to parallel streets, for safety.

    • KM February 19, 2020 (11:16 am)

      Lol no.

      • Tsurly February 19, 2020 (12:42 pm)

        Double no.

    • Ice February 19, 2020 (5:02 pm)

      If your idea of quality of life is increased traffic, decreased safety, and totally terrible conditions for walking, sure.

    • zark00 February 20, 2020 (10:16 am)

      lol – wrong across the board.  Wider streets hinder commercial development, retail accessibility, and patronage.  Higher speed limits have an adverse impact on commercial properties.  The higher the ‘walk score’ the more the property is worth – period.  Your suggestions would be one of the best ways to reduce commerce in an area and would be extremely effective in reducing overall quality of life.

  • A-ron February 20, 2020 (5:02 pm)

    This years version of nice neighborhood gets nicer, and crappy neighborhood gets nothing… privilege begat more privilege.

    • Kathy February 21, 2020 (9:41 am)

      Everyone can participate, whether online, in person or by snail mail. Also, you no longer have to pick  district this year, instead, you pick a category of what it is you want to improve, could be anywhere in the city. I like the process better this way, even though the website could use improvement. The field where you type the problem you are trying to solve is only 500 characters, so be succinct!

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