Jimmy Van Bramer (Photo: Office of JVB)
April 4, 2014 By Christian Murray
Residents of Sunnyside, Woodside and Long Island City will soon have a direct say on how $1 million in city funds will be spent in the district.
Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, who each year allocates funds for parks, clubs and schools, plans on introducing participatory budgeting in the 2015/2016 fiscal year, where about 30% of the discretionary funds he receives will be put in the hands of the community to spend.
The participatory budgeting program allows residents themselves to determine where to allocate funds for capital projects in the district. The community might decide to spend funds on, say, improving a Long Island City park to funding a Woodside dog run.
The process involves holding a series of town hall meetings and workshops where residents present their ideas to the community and a vote is held on whether an item is worth funding.
“I’m excited by this,” Van Bramer said. “It is a community driven process that allows people to vote,” he said. “It is a way to increase transparency.”
Van Bramer said he is reluctant to allow the community to vote on all or most of the funds. He said that some groups that are not as well organized might be overlooked in the process. However, he said, he will monitor how it works out and will make changes accordingly.
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27 Comments
Thanks folks for pointing out my error, but I wonder why this information is published now when the process is at least 10 months away?
No money for private parks!!!
Ewww Astoria is gross, keep it where it is please.
remake the signs and call this place south astoria, so we can get some decent businesses in here. ones that I want to spend money in.
How about a parking garage on each side. They are building a school between 42nd43rd…if that wasn’t really needed then that space could have been used as a monthly resident only garage. how much noise does a garage make, especially if its not public.
Dont worry Sunnysideposthatesme14
Common core will be deemed racist by the end of the year because so many blacks will fail and fail miserably.
Really happy to hear that our District will be able to start taking part in Participatory Budgeting! Look forward to hearing more about how it works!
So excited that Participatory Budgeting is coming to the neighborhood! Currently PB is for capital projects, so between now and the fall, the community needs to think of things it needs built or repaired.
Get rid of chaaange man.
My idea would be to try to make Sunnyside more attractive. Use some of the money to make nice flower beds and employ some people to clean up the garbage on our streets. Also i think the landlords should be held more responsible to keep their front gardens and sidewalks clean. If u walk past most of the buildings all u see is disgusting garbage, beer and licquor bottles and dirt. They should be responsible for keeping our neigherhood clean and attractive
I wish the new people of Sunnyside would just care about us original people enough to look at and respect us and honor us at every turn because we happened to be here first and should be respected for all we have done and given to this neighborhood because of our vast knowledge and experience and hard work and values which are are clearly more neighborly and befitting if this neighborhood. That is all.
I hope people will get behind an allocation to open the Woodside branch of the library on Saturdays. It’s been closed on Saturday for ages. What’s a young reader to do?
consider yourself warned: if you’re sn alchoholic prone to seizures, do not wander near blue z liquors. geez, what the hell are those people thinking?
I’d give money to get the change guy to leave the neighborhood.
@Sophia
Agreed. I feel as if the “new people” don’t care about the neighborhood and us at all. All the changes they’ve contributed have took away that diverse, quaint, small town neighborhood feeling. If they keep on viewing people who were already here as wallpaper in their new lives, then we’re done for.
Let’s not spend a dime on people who open businesses that are as ugly an bring the neighborhood down like trashy blue z liquors. anything that adds and benefits the neighborhoods I am fine with, a liquor store that looks like hoods and drunks will spend $3 they scraped together doesn’t belong here. No more trash for this neighborhood. Boycott this dump.
Very positive report, Christian. But, Sunnyside/Woodside businesses are folding left and right, making this neighborhood less desirable for people on a budget. Scott Cooper, Esq. and Real Estate office will close after April 30th. (located at 44th Street and Greenpoint Ave.) Cooper was in business for 25 years. He had a good staff, and has lots of money, but craves more money. Very unfortunate for Scott Cooper. I doubt if President Obama will grant him any benefits as a small business owner. So much for the greedy.
A free frozen yogurt for all residents!
This is very simple,
On after school programs. there’s no programs, nothing, with all the f$$king days off these kids get for spring break and winter break , it’s impossible for the kids to keep up with that bullshit common core and everything else.
Awesome! Can’t wait.
@ Anonymous Wonderfully said. The new people, who are otherwise fine human beings I am sure, see the people who were already here as wallpaper in their new lives. And some of them think the wallpaper is in bad taste. Its an immature and cold attitude.
Great! I hope the money is spent on making this neighborhood better for everyone, not just young people only. Many of the new business and venues today only target young people and not everyone regardless of age. Let’s not forget the people who shaped this neighborhood.
If the participants are anything like the people who typically comment on this site, this will be disastrous for the neighborhood and for Jimmy.
@JOR
“plans on introducing participatory budgeting in the 2015/2016 fiscal year”
Other districts are working on the 2014/2015 year.
JOR – That is the list and voting deadline for current fiscal year. JVB’s PB is for the coming fiscal year.
According to the website of the organization that oversees the participatory budget process, PBNYC.org, Council District 26 represented by Mr. Van Bramer is not included in the participatory budget process. Also, the voting process concludes April 6.
Great idea!! Hopefully some of this money will go to quality of life issues (like dog poop on the sidewalk) but we’ll see.