Participatory Budgeting Pilot Projects down to Nine
For the first time in D6 history the community will decide how our $1.5 million worth of District 6-specific capital projects funds are directed. These projects are planned to be fully completed by May 2027 (2 years after the completion of the pilot Participatory Budgeting process).
Over the past year, you’ve submitted 243 project ideas and those projects have been narrowed to a field of nine community eligible projects!
Phase 4 voting will begin on these projects on March 29 at the PBABQ Project Expo at the International District Library where Community Teams will present their projects to the public.
Please help PBABQ get the word out to vote March 29 - through April 19, 2025!
All District 6 community members can vote live at the event and for those who cannot attend, online voting will continue through April 19, 2025.
Here are the final 2025 Participatory Budgeting Projects:
Transforming Vacant Land into Public Parklets ($400,000)
This project will explore opportunities for the City to acquire vacant land to be transformed into small public parks (or “parklets”) in neighborhoods in District 6 where there are not parks nearby. If this project is voted to be funded, once a project site has been located, the City will acquire the land and convert it into a park.
First Responder Mural ($64,500)
The First Responder (3rd Saturday) Mural is about more than just art — it’s about giving back to those who serve us every day. This capital project, surrounded by monthly programming, brings together volunteers, local leaders, and community members to support first responders through meaningful acts of service. This involves the installation of a solar panel mural as visual art and a gathering place for community appreciation of first responders. This project will be centered around Albuquerque’s 3rd Saturday events celebrating arts and culture.
One Stop Respite Station ($175,575)
This project seeks to support unsheltered community members by providing a safe, accessible, and sustainable support station. Elements of this project include a secure storage space with the opportunity to receive mail, charging facilities powered by solar energy, a security box in the case of an emergency, and a communication board to provide important information, connect family members, and inform of resources available nearby.
5 Blocks for Life ($1.5 million)
The Five Blocks for Life project aims to revitalize the area surrounding Wilson Middle School in Albuquerque's District 6 by enhancing infrastructure and improving public spaces. This is a demonstration project with the goal of doing this around every school in the International District over the next few years. A key improvement includes adding trees and shrubs along San Pedro to reduce noise and begin to build back the tree canopy in the International District as it has the least canopy of any area in the city. This will also improve air quality and create a harassment buffer for students whom are participating in outdoor activities. Pedestrian safety will be addressed with new crosswalks and a HAWK signal near the San Pedro Library. Infrastructure repairs will target broken sidewalks, missing handicap curbs, and unmarked fire lanes. These improvements will boost community safety, foster economic development, and enhance overall well-being.
Buena Vista Drive Bike Infrastructure Improvements ($1.5 million)
This project includes prioritizing bicycle travel along Buena Vista Ave., providing traffic calming measures, and installing three mid-block crossings with pedestrian hybrid beacons (PHBs aka HAWKs) at Gibson, Avenida Cesar Chavez, and Central. This project merges two original community submitted project proposals that align with project priorities outlined in the City’s updated Bikeways & Trail Facilities Plan to invest in cycling infrastructure along the corridor and to create a safer environment for bicyclists to move about District 6. By creating a Bicycle Boulevard on Buena Vista from Gibson to Central that is accessible to UNM, there would be a continuous bike path from Gibson all the way to Balloon Fiesta Park.
San Mateo/Kathryn Grower's Market ($949,045)
This is a series of capital improvements that complement the improvements already slated for the empty lot in between San Mateo Blvd and Ortiz Dr, south of Kathryn Ave. These improvements are intended to “set the stage” for the operation of a Growers Market that will provide a place for farmers, artists, and other vendors from District 6 to come together and sell their produce and goods. These improvements are also intended to support programming that take place at the site outside of the Growers Market. On days of the week when the Growers Market isn’t happening, other types of community programming like food distribution could take place within the space.
Gateway Family Shelter Multi-Use Playground ($500,000)
This is an inclusive and multi-use playground directly outside of the Gateway Family Shelter. This will be a 50x50 foot playground located in the parking lot north of the Family Shelter. This project is modeled off of the playground at Daniel Webster Park (in terms of size) and modeled off of the playground at ABQ Collegiate Academy (in terms of mobility). This playground is intended to primarily serve 2-5 year olds and 5-12 year olds, and children of all needs. This playground will be designed, constructed, and installed to be mobile, in the case that the shelter is moved to a different site. The playground will include shade structures, benches (with a center armrest), and site furnishings.
3 "Portland Loo" Public Restroom Units ($1,436,730)
This project proposal blends 25 original community project proposals into a single proposal: installing three environmentally friendly and fully equipped Public Restroom units in different locations around District 6 (locations still to be determined). While this proposal cannot solve the overwhelming need for public restrooms in the area, this demonstration project puts three facilities in place in both urban and recreational areas, and sets a model for the City to implement additional similar facilities
3 Traffic Circles in the Trumbull Neighborhood ($420,000)
This project involves the implementation of three traffic circles to calm the flow of traffic and improve public safety and overall quality of life for residents, pedestrians, and bicyclists in the Trumbull neighborhood at three problematic intersections: 1) Grove and Trumbull, 2) Grove and Bell, and 3) Tennessee and Bell.
How Voting Will Work:
- Learn More About the Projects: For District 6 community members who are unable to attend the Project Expo, more information about each of the projects can be found on the www.pbabq.org website.
- Voter Eligibility: Anyone who is 11 years or older that is living, working, or going to school in District 6 is eligible to vote.
- Voting Requirement: In order to vote, District 6 community members will only need to provide a phone number. If District 6 community members do not have a phone number, they will be encouraged to use the phone number of a service provider they are seeking support from or a legal guardian (depending on their situation). Once community members have provided their phone number, they will be given a one-time code that they can use to access the Ballot and cast their vote.
- Information Requested from Voters: First and last name, email address (optional), and confirmation of living, working, and/or studying in District 6.
- Casting Votes: Once District 6 community members are able to access the Ballot, they will be expected to review all of the proposals and vote on 3 of them.
- Voting Outreach: PBABQ will be providing its core team members/volunteers a training on how to collect votes via tablets or hard copies of the Ballot. These volunteers will each be issued a certain number of one-time codes for District 6 community members wanting to cast votes. A separate spreadsheet will be created to help coordinate the distribution of codes to various team members and also to keep track of who each team member collected votes for.
- Presentations to Community Groups and Community Events: If you are part of a community group that would like a presentation about the projects listed on the ballot, please complete the following Google Form requesting a presentation: PBABQ Request for Ballot Presentation
Vote Tallying: All votes cast between March 29 and April 19 will be tallied. The top three projects with the most votes will be awarded funding.
PBABQ By the Numbers
It all began in February 2024, when District 6 City Councilor Nichole Rogers officially dedicated $1.5 million of her
Council Set-Aside funds to initiate a participatory budgeting process in her City Council District. Coincidentally, it
was at this same time that two undergraduate/graduate courses at the University of New Mexico were releasing the
findings of their research surrounding PB models being implemented in other cities around the country. Not long
after this, Councilor Rogers’ Office and UNM established a partnership to launch a series of working groups to start
developing a plan for implementing a PB pilot in District 6
- From June 18 to October 14, the City Councilor Rogers’ Office partnered with Participatory Budgeting ABQ
(“PBABQ”) to co-design a participatory budgeting (“PB”) pilot program for the City of Albuquerque. Over this 5 month
period, community members living, working, and/or studying in City Council District 6 worked closely with City staff
to co-design a process for community members to submit capital “project ideas” to be funded by Councilor Rogers’
$1.5 million in Council Set-Aside funds earmarked for a PB pilot program. - From October 20 to December 15, 243 project ideas were submitted by community members via small workshops,
project idea submission form submissions, in-person project idea surveys, pop-up community event mapping
exercises, large workshop mentimeter surveys, district-wide assemblies, and other public engagement activities. - On January 9, 16 “project idea clusters” were generated during a 3-hour project refinement event (“sprint”) by a team
of 30+ community members comprised of Budget Delegates, D6 Steering Committee Members, and PBABQ core
team members. - On January 10, Councilor Rogers’ Office was provided a PB Project Manager by the Administration to help facilitate
the project development process by bridging the gap between community members and City staff among 8+ City
Departments. - From throughout January and February, Councilor Rogers’ Office and the Administration’s Project Manager will
connect these City Departments’ key staffers to work closely with Budget Delegates and D6 Steering Committee
Members in “Project Development Teams.” During this 2 month period, PDTs will transform the 16 project idea
clusters into full “project proposals”. These project proposals will have pricetags, locations, and other preliminary
planning documentation that will be presented by PDTs during the Project Expos that will take place at the beginning
of March (imagine PDTs presenting their project proposals to the public in a “science fair” format community
meeting). - In March, Councilor Rogers’ Office, the Administration, and the PDTs will place X project proposals (still to be
determined) on the “Ballot” to be voted upon by community members. Community members will have $1.5 million
available to spend on the projects they would like to see funded. - In April, PBABQ will tally votes and announce the winning projects for the pilot PB process. PBABQ will work with
CABQ’s Capital Implementation Program (CIP) to incorporate the winning projects into the City’s 2025 General
Obligation (G.O.) Bond Program ($175 million worth of capital projects across the city).
PBABQ in District 6
Please reach out to [email protected] for more information on getting involved, or to Learn more about how to get involved please contact:
Albuquerque City Councilor Nichole Rogers | [email protected]
Albuquerque City Council Staffer Jeff Hertz | [email protected]