West End Revitalization will hold a 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, June 24, special meeting at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center to collect community input about the WER Steering Committee’s new participatory budget process.
The free event at the MLK Center at 630 9th St., Rock Island, is open to everyone. There, attendees will get the opportunity to share their input about what that participatory budget process should look like. Leader also will share the progress that has been and the next steps, an MLK Center news release said.
Through participatory budgeting community members decide how to spend parts of a budget, the release said. It gives people real power over real money. WER has raised $50,000 that will be spent using that innovative democratic process.
Students at Thurgood Marshall Learning Center, Rock Island, kicked off the participatory budget effort. They collected ideas, developed proposals and then voted on how to spend $10,000.
This summer, a West End Steering Committee has been convening. Its goal is to guide a process for the community to spend the remaining $40,000. Tuesday members will collect ideas from those who live, work, play, or are otherwise connected to the West End.
An exciting opportunity
“This is an exciting opportunity for community members to have a voice in how funds are spent,” WER Coordinator Virginia Jarrett said in the release. “This is about involving everyone in the process, and making sure the revitalization reflects the needs and aspirations of the people who live here.”
She added “We intend for participatory budgeting to expand to larger amounts in the future. For now, we are working hard to create a process that we can replicate moving forward.”
WER is a long-term community-driven effort. It is focused on making the West End of Rock Island a preferred place to live, work, and thrive. Using the Collective Impact model, the initiative seeks to bring sustainable improvements to the area. It also seeks to enhance local amenities, support economic growth, and provide a vibrant, inclusive environment for all residents.
For more details, contact WER at (309) 732-2999 or visit mlkcenter.org/westend.
The MLK Center aims to inspire greatness in the Quad Cities through community-building, education and service.
Major programs currently include Substance Use Prevention; Teenage Pregnancy Prevention; Family Advocacy Center; free after-school and summer programs for children aged 6-17. It also has clubs for people of all ages; free tax preparation assistance; four annual community events; and is backbone support for the West End Revitalization.
