Denver PB - Idea Collection FAQs

Idea Collection is the phase in Denver's Participatory Budgeting (PB) process when community members share and submit ideas for local improvements that can be funded with the available PB funds.

For this first pilot Denver PB process, the city set aside $2 million for residents to decide how to spend on neighborhood infrastructure improvement projects. See the question below on how the $2 million is split across Denver for this pilot year. 

The Denver PB Community Steering Committee (CSC), a group of community members selected to decide rules and goals that guide the PB process and set parameters for who can participate in this first Denver pilot process. There are specific guidelines for each of the different phases (Idea Collection, Proposal Development, and the Vote), as well as specific guidelines for the focus areas for this first year. See the question below on who can submit a project idea.

Some of the goals during this phase include gaining participation from as many Denver residents who are eligible as possible, especially underrepresented community members, educating participants about Participatory Budgeting, and recruiting Budget Delegates who will build ideas into proposals. 

Eventually (aiming for Fall 2022), eligible residents can vote on their preferred project ideas, and the City will build the top voted projects! 

The Denver PB Community Steering Committee (CSC), a group of community members selected to decide rules and goals that guide the PB process and set parameters for who can participate in this first Denver pilot process. 

There are specific participation requirements for each of the different phases (Idea Collection, Proposal Development, and the Vote), as well as specific participation requirements for the focus areas for this first year. 

For Idea Collection, Denver residents must meet the following eligibility guidelines to submit an idea:

• To submit an idea in one of the pilot focus neighborhoods, you must live, go to school, or work at or own a micro-business (10 or fewer employees) in that area.
  • Far Northeast (Montbello, Gateway-Green Valley Ranch, DIA)
  • East (South Park Hill, Hale, Montclair, East Colfax)
  • East Central (North Capitol Hill, Capitol Hill, City Park West, Cheesman Park, City Park, Congress Park)
• To submit an idea in any other Denver neighborhood, you must live, go to school, or work at or own a micro-business (10 or fewer employees) in Denver. 

What happens if I do not meet the eligibility requirements to submit an idea?

If you do not meet any of the requirements above, you are not eligible to submit an idea for this first pilot year. You can still participate in the Denver PB process in various ways, though! For example, you can encourage your friends, family, and neighbors who do meet the requirements to submit ideas and/or vote. You can join Denver PB activities or events to learn more about Participatory Budgeting and infrastructure projects. If there's a future PB cycle, the eligibility for participation could be different, and any knowledge gained now we hope you can take into other civic and democratic activities. 

Use this link to submit a project idea for Denver Participatory Budgeting: https://bit.ly/denverpbidea. 

Idea Collection begins and opens on June 6, 2022 and ends on July 31, 2022. 

No additional project ideas will be accepted starting August 1, 2022. 

After Idea Collection closes on July 4, we move into the Proposal Development phase of the process when community members serving as Budget Delegates work closely with the city staff to determine project feasibility, to assess and score project ideas, and to develop project proposals for high-scoring projects to be considered for the final ballot(s). 

The City has set aside $2 million for residents to decide how to spend on neighborhood improvement projects.

 The $2 million in funding is split in the following ways: 

• $400,000 for the Far Northeast area (Montbello, Gateway-Green Valley Ranch, DIA),
• $300,000 for the East area (South Park Hill, Hale, Montclair, East Colfax),
• $300,000 for East Central area (North Capitol Hill, Capitol Hill, City Park West, Cheesman Park, City Park, Congress Park), and
• $1,000,000 for Denver neighborhoods outside of the three pilot focus areas above (with an emphasis on projects that address mobility and transportation safety).

Eligible Project Ideas and Costs:

The money set aside for this 2022 Denver Participatory Budgeting pilot must go towards projects that build or improve infrastructure, which are physical projects or "capital" projects that:

• Benefit the public,
• Cost over $10,000,
• Are one-time (non-recurring) costs, and 
• Have a life span of at least 15 years or more. 

Some examples include improvements to streets, signs and pavement markings, sidewalks, bike lanes, pedestrian crossings, features in parks and recreation centers (such as courts, fields, playground features, benches, and shelters), solar improvements or electric vehicle charging stations, and public art.

Allowable project costs may include the costs for studies or asset condition evaluations, design, and construction. 

Area Plan Recommendations: With PB funding allocated to areas where recent area plans have been adopted (the Far Northeast, the East, and East Central areas in particular), community members are encouraged to review those adopted plans and put forth project ideas that align with and help implement the recommendations in those area plans. See the next FAQ for more area plan information. 

EXAMPLES of capital project ideas and ESTIMATED costs that may align with PB funding are listed below.

(Reminder: Capital projects must cost at least $10,000, so smaller projects should be bundled, and they must have a lifespan of 15+ years)

Unallowable / Ineligible Project Ideas and Unallowable Costs:

Projects that CANNOT be funded through the $2 million in Denver PB funds include services or programs (or "operating" or "expense" types of projects). 

These types of ineligible or unallowable costs include: Programs, services, travel and training, food, clothing, tools, marketing materials, dues and subscriptions, vehicles, equipment that is not part of the infrastructure project or asset, and staff time. Examples of ineligible costs include expanding bus service, extending library staff hours, after school programs, educational programs, and other costs that don't meet the infrastructure criteria above. 

Yes! Absolutely! 

With PB funding allocated to areas where recent area plans have been adopted (the Far Northeast, the East, and East Central areas in particular), it is a great opportunity to have some of the relevant recommendations in those plans funded and implemented through the Denver PB funding and process. 

Community members are encouraged to review the adopted plans for those three area plans and put forth project ideas that align with and help implement the recommendations in those area plans. 

You can find the area plans and the plan recommendations linked below. 

Are there any ideas from the area plan recommendations that you want to suggest be funded with PB funds? If so, submit the idea at this link to have it considered through the PB process: https://bit.ly/denverpbidea. 

Area Plans & Recommendations: 

(Links below to the three adopted area plans and a list of some of the recommendations - see projects identified as "infrastructure")

• East Area Plan | East Area Plan Recommendations - Implementation Matrix (see the projects identified as "Infrastructure")
• East Central Area Plan | East Central Area Plan Recommendations - Implementation Matrix (see the projects identified as "Infrastructure")
• Far Northeast Area Plan 

"Mobility Safety" projects include a broad set of infrastructure projects that improve safety, accessibility, and movement for people whether people are walking, biking, driving, taking transit, riding a scooter, or other means of transportation or movement. For the $1 million set aside for Denver neighborhoods that are outside of the three pilot focus areas (outside of Far Northeast, East, and East Central), the majority of those funds must go towards mobility safety projects. 

Examples of infrastructure projects that qualify within "mobility safety" include:

• Concrete Medians
• Bike Lanes / Bike Infrastructure
• Curb Ramps and Bump-Out
• Safety Bike Course
• Sidewalks
• Refuge Island
• Signal - New
• Signal - Rebuild
• Signs and Pavement Markings
• Pedestrian Crossings

Submitted ideas during the Idea Collection phase of the Denver PB process will all be captured and consolidated into a single list of ideas. The City will aim to post a list of the ideas submitted for Denver PB on the website after Idea Collection ends. 

After Idea Collection ends on July 31, 2022, the Proposal Development phase will begin. 

First, Denver's city staff will perform a feasibility review of the submitted project ideas to identify which projects are or are not feasible for the city to build with the available funding. 

Then, Budget Delegates from the community assess and rank feasible projects based on a set of criteria (such as need, impact, and equity) to determine which projects will be developed into concrete proposals. With guidance from and in collaboration with City staff, Budget Delegates will develop high-scoring project ideas into real proposals for the ballot(s). 

Finally, eligible residents will vote on project proposals and determine the final set of projects that will be funded with the available PB funding and built by the City. 

The City will review all project ideas that are submitted and will perform a feasibility review to determine which projects are feasible for the city to build and fit within the guidelines and requirements for the Denver PB process and $2 million in available funding for PB Projects. 

Projects that are deemed not feasible or that do not align with eligibility for the Denver PB process will be provided in a list of project ideas to the relevant city agency or department for their awareness and review. 

[response in progress]

Find more information about Budgets Delegates on the Proposal Development information page. 

During the Proposal Development phase of Denver's Participatory Budgeting (PB) process, volunteers (known as Budget Delegates) serve a critical role in the PB process: Budget Delegates build the ballot that community members will use to make an informed decision on which projects to fund using the $2 million.

Community members serving as Budget Delegates will meet on a weekly basis from July through mid-September, working together in facilitated committees to develop concrete proposals for the ballot.

Denver residents are invited to apply to serve as a Budget Delegate (by July 31, 2022) to turn the community's initial project ideas into the full proposals that may end up on the ballot for the vote!

Budget Delegates will receive a small stipend for their work.

This is Denver's first, pilot year implementing a Participatory Budgeting process. The timelines are tentative, but we're aiming for the vote to occur this fall 2022 (estimated for October 2022). When voting opens, it will likely be open for approximately three weeks.

[responses coming soon]