Got an idea on how to make your neighbourhood a better place? The city wants to hear from you.
London is once again asking residents for submissions for the Neighbourhood Decision Making program. Now in its sixth year, the program allows Londoners to propose projects to enhance the area of the city where they live for a chance to land the funding to make it a reality.
A total of $250,000 will be doled out through the program, with each individual project eligible to receive up to $30,000. Past winning projects included a bike repair station along the Thames Valley Parkway, a free little Arabic library, and upgrades to the Kiwanis Park baseball fields.
“Neighbourhood Decision Making is a great way for Londoners, no matter how old they are or where they may originally be from, to have a say in how our city spends money in their neighbourhoods,” said Mayor Josh Morgan. “The program engages, empowers and connects residents by bringing neighbours together to support community-driven projects, but it is also a great example of participatory budgeting.”
How it works:
After thinking up an idea, or getting one from the city's idea booklet, submit it online at getinvolved.london.ca/ndm anytime between now and September 29. Ideas deemed viable by city staff will be finalized before a public vote.
Londoners will be asked to vote on their three favourite submissions between November 13 and 18. Voting will be done in-person at neighbourhood resource centres and community centres, over the phone and online.
Winning ideas will be announced in December.
Last year, 230 ideas were submitted with nearly 10,000 votes cast to select the two dozen winners. Among the projects that received funding was a Westmount community pantry, off-leash dog park improvements in Pottersburg, and tree planting in Gibbons Park.
