Calvia town hall is allocating a quarter of a million euros of its 2017 budget to projects that the public will decide. Its participative budgeting process started on Monday, and proposals can be made up to 6 November. These will then be analysed by the town hall, and voting on the proposals will take place between 1 and 16 December; a web page is to be established for this.
Anyone who is registered in Calvia and who is aged over 16 can present a proposal for town hall investment or grant.
This is the first time that the town hall has involved residents in this way. There is a dual purpose to the participation, it says. One is so that residents can have co-responsibility for decisions, and the other is to get them involved in the running of the municipality.
Fernando Alcaraz, councillor for citizen participation, points out that participative budgeting was an element of the agreement for the "pact" of administration in Calvia that followed the election in 2015. The process this year, he adds, will be evaluated and, if necessary, improved in the future.
The 250,000 euros will represent just over six per cent of the planned budget for project investment in 2017.
Other town halls have participative budgeting processes. Palma has introduced one, and only 1,184 people voted on projects.