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Committee recommends council adopt stipend for Participatory Budgeting commission; questions remain about scope and coordination
Summary
The committee voted to recommend full council approval of a code amendment to formalize small stipends for the Participatory Budgeting commission and its ad hoc delegates; members asked for broader review of commissions, engagement staffing and budget impacts.
Committee members voted to recommend that the full Richmond City Council approve a code amendment to formalize modest stipends for members of the city’s Participatory Budgeting (PB) commission and for delegates serving on an ad hoc vetting committee.
The ordinance before the committee would formally allow an honorarium of $41.66 per meeting for nine commission members (up to 12 meetings, a maximum of $500 per member annually) and $25 per meeting for ad hoc delegates (estimated 8 meetings). The PB program also includes a separate operational appropriation to support community engagement and a $3 million project appropriation that funds projects selected through the PB process; committee staff said $150,000 was budgeted for operational support for Richmond People’s Budget.
Supporters said the stipends are intended to reduce barriers to participation — for example, by offsetting childcare, transportation or food costs — and to help broaden participation. Some council members urged a broader review of boards and commissions and of city engagement staffing to avoid duplication: several members said the city now has multiple engagement efforts across departments (community ambassadors, mayoral outreach staff, civic-association liaisons) and asked for a crosswalk of roles and funding before expanding stipend policies across boards and commissions.
Questions at the committee included which commissions receive stipends, how the stipend is funded in the FY26 operating budget, and the total budget impact. Staff explained that the appropriation for PB stipend and operational support is budgeted in the current operating budget and that the PB program has been funded with a combination of operational funds and a separate $3 million project appropriation for the community-selected projects. Committee members requested a district-by-district list of PB project proposals and the items voters in each district are considering; staff agreed to circulate those lists to council members.
The committee made a recommendation to the full council to approve the ordinance; the committee vote to send the measure to the full council carried. No final council ordinance vote occurred at the committee meeting; the recommendation will be placed on the full council agenda.
