Richmond staff and VCU report strong engagement for inaugural People’s Budget; $3 million allocation planned

City staff and Virginia Commonwealth University researchers told the Richmond City Council’s organizational development committee on March 3 that the first cycle of the Richmond People’s Budget has produced heavy public participation, and that officials plan a two‑week ranked ballot in April for residents to select projects.

The People’s Budget is a participatory budgeting pilot proposed to allocate $3 million from fiscal year 2026 capital funds across Richmond’s nine council districts. Lariana Delgado, civic engagement coordinator in the council chief of staff’s office, said the steering commission used an RVA social‑vulnerability map to guide funding allocations and that the process collected roughly 1,900 ideas citywide.

Who can participate and how it works

Delgado said residents, workers and students aged 14 and older who live, work or study in Richmond are eligible to participate, regardless of immigration or post‑incarceration status. Delegates — three from each district chosen from 70 applicants — converted eligible community ideas into roughly 10–15 ballot proposals per district. Voting is scheduled April 1–15, with ranked ballots allowing each voter to prioritize up to three projects.

VCU evaluation: enthusiasm and outreach gaps

Researchers from VCU, who are evaluating the process, presented phase‑1 findings that showed broad enthusiasm: 77% of surveyed respondents said they felt their perspectives were valued, 80% agreed PB strengthened relationships with city government, and 64% rated their experience excellent or good.

The VCU team also reported concerns about outreach and representation. Focus‑group participants and survey comments said organizers should “over‑communicate,” increase door‑to‑door outreach and reach historically underrepresented neighborhoods and groups — the report singled out youth and people experiencing homelessness as groups that need additional targeted outreach.

Officials’ requests and next steps

Delgado asked council members to help identify voting locations across districts and to secure the $3 million allocation in the FY26 budget. She also said staff would share the finalized ballot proposals with council as soon as they are available.

VCU said phase 2 of its evaluation will track implementation and measure whether participatory budgeting increases trust and civic engagement as projects move from selection to procurement and construction.

Quote attribution

"I think this process will result in us feeling all the government is more responsive to our needs and wants," one survey respondent wrote in a quoted comment displayed by VCU evaluators.

Administrative and budget questions raised

Councilmembers asked about the staffing and administrative budget for the PB effort; Delgado said the program’s administrative line is $150,000 and that one full‑time employee is paid from that allocation, while other staff time is absorbed within the council chief of staff’s office. Councilmembers requested a detailed organizational chart and a breakdown of personnel time and costs tied to the initiative.

Delgado said stipend funding is intended to compensate the budget delegates for proposal‑development work already completed. The VCU report authors also noted that other municipalities use stipends and larger budget allocations in later PB cycles.

Ending

Council members praised the outreach and asked staff to share delegate proposals, the demographic breakdown of participants and the organizational budget for staffing and outreach. VCU said it will return with a phase‑2 evaluation once projects are selected and moved into implementation.