Council adds participatory budgeting language to closing resolution, directs staff to develop process

Detroit City Council approved placing participatory budgeting on the closing resolution and asked administration to begin planning so residents could directly vote on a portion of discretionary funds in a future cycle.

Council members described participatory budgeting as a program where residents identify project priorities and vote on how a set-aside pool of funds will be spent. Members compared models in other U.S. cities and urged a phased approach: begin the planning, set benchmarks and aim for a future year when the process can be implemented with an allocated dollar amount.

Council Member Santiago Romero requested the item be included in closing resolution language to start the process. Council President Mary Sheffield and others said the city had studied participatory budgeting during recovery from bankruptcy and that conditions might now be more favorable to begin developing a program. The council asked staff to include benchmarks and updates in the closing resolution so implementation progress can be reviewed.

Action taken: council added participatory budgeting to the closing resolution and directed staff to return with a development plan and benchmarks for possible inclusion in the FY27 budget.