Trenton Market to pilot participatory budgeting with $10,000 grant

Tyrell Smith, owner of Trenton Market, told the City Council on a presentation night that his organization "have been awarded a grant for $10,000" from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to run a participatory budgeting pilot in Trenton's Choice Neighborhood zone. The pilot will use a steering committee drawn from local residents and an advisory board to design outreach, solicit project ideas, develop feasible proposals, and let residents vote on how to spend the awarded funds.

Smith described the process in six steps: design (forming a representative steering committee), brainstorming (community idea collection), proposal development (turning ideas into feasible projects), voting (in-person and via the Community Hut app), funding the winning projects, and evaluation by a partner research group. He said the pilot will keep projects geographically limited to the Choice Neighborhood district because the $10,000 award is small and intended to be visible to local participants.

Council members asked practical questions about funding sources and reach. Smith said initial funding is the private grant and that, in the future, city departments could set aside existing line items for participatory budgeting. He also explained the pilot will emphasize three "pockets" of work — food sustainability and ownership, environmental justice, and community beautification — and that a Princeton-affiliated research group will evaluate outcomes.

Smith invited council members to help recruit steering-committee members and suggested that the process could be used with youth councils and school student governments. Council members expressed support for community education around civic budgeting and said they would assist by publicizing the effort and exploring how city discretionary funds might be earmarked in later cycles.

The council encouraged outreach and asked the presenter to share contact and website information for residents who want to participate.