District 1 Launches Participatory Budgeting

Attention District 1 Community!

District 1 City Councilor Stephanie Telles announces her partnership with Participatory Budgeting of Albuquerque (PBABQ). Participatory Budgeting will seek, uplift, and support the people living in Council District 1. The goal is to generate community led ideas for capital projects that improve existing resources, provide needed services, or build needed infrastructure for public use, safety, and confidence. The PBABQ team assists the District's constituents in developing and selecting the projects and to see each one through to implementation. 

What is Participatory Budgeting?

Participatory budgeting (“PB”) is a democratic process where community members directly decide how to spend public dollars.  To learn more about Participatory Budgeting, take a few minutes to watch this video: Overview of Participatory Budgeting (Short Video)

"District 1 residents have a history of getting involved," said District 1 City Councilor Stephanie Telles. "We want to do what is in the best interests and needs of Burquenos who live, work, study or play in our District. When we empower our neighbors to make these decisions, the outcomes are more appreciated and the community gains more confidence in City systems and leaders. Even children (11 years or older) are urged to participate, submit ideas and vote on projects."

How do I get involved with PB?

• Orientation Form: Welcome to PBABQ! To learn more about how to get involved, take a minute to complete our Orientation Form.  There are many different opportunities to get involved in the PB process, whether that be spreading the word about PB with your neighbors, serving on the Steering Committee, or submitting your very own project idea to be considered for funding! 
• Apply for the Steering Committee:  Councilor Telles encourages you to apply to serve on the Steering Committee to help us design the PB process in District 1! The role and expectations of Steering Committee members are included in the application form. The deadline for applying is on September 25, 2026. PBABQ is looking for Community Members who live, work or study in District 1 and who have a local knowledge of what is happening "on the ground." The role of the Steering Committee is to implement Participatory Budgeting in Albuquerque City Council District 1.

• Setting the Stage for Idea Collection: Steering Committee recruitment, formation, and orientation will take place in September and we will start collecting ideas for capital projects from District 1 community members in early October. Stay tuned for more!

What is the timeline for PB in District 1?

PBABQ District 1 is now accepting applications from community members through September 18, 2026 to serve on the Participatory Budgeting Steering Committee. The PBABQ Steering Committee's work will create methods and processes designed to gather input from all segments of the District 1 community for their input on how the City's Capital Budget could better utilized for the benefit of all constituents. 

For projects developed for District 1, constituents and PBABQ volunteers will work together with City Departments and other partnerships to form and complete project proposals and implement a Participatory Budget (PB) model to select the projects that will be funded. These funds can be used for capital projects like lighting, street improvements, beautification, etc.

The City's first PBABQ pilot was conducted successfully in City Council District 6 in 2025. District 6 City Councilor Nichole L. Rogers provided $1.5 Million Council Set-Aside funds in 2025, and she has designated $1.7 million for the eleven 2026 District 6 PBABQ projects. PBABQ began as a collaboration between students and faculty from the University of New Mexico and community members, researching how public money can be used for care rather than harm. PBABQ has been organizing since November of 2023, with special interest in PB’s ability to uplift marginalized communities. 

Here is the District 1 PBABQ Timeline: 

1. Steering Committee Formation - People who live, work or play in District 1 are invited to serve. Application period ends September 2026.

2. Idea Collection - The Steering Committee reaches out to as many community groups as possible to host Projec Idea Workshops and two District-Wide Assemblies through October 2026.

3. Project Development - All of the project ideas submitted will be refined, consolidated and narrowed down to a list of 10+ finalist projects to be added to the ballot through the end of November.

4. Voting - In December, D1 Community members will vote on finalist projects that make it on the ballot.

5. Funding Winning Projects -  Votes are tallied and the winning projects are funded using available District 1 Council Set-Asides in January 2027. Projects that are not funded are submitted to State Legislators for capital outlay funding.

6. Evaluate the PB Process - In February 2027, the Steering Committee will evaluate the PB process to improve next year's process.