Council Member Julie Menin Announces Participatory Budget Results, Ranking 1st in Manhattan and 2nd in all 5 Boroughs
April 26, 2023
Upper East Side– Council Member Julie Menin is proud to announce the results of her second annual participatory budgeting cycle within New York City Council District 5, which garnered a district record total of 4,458 votes. District 5 (Upper East Side’s Yorkville, Lenox Hill, Carnegie Hill, Roosevelt Island, Midtown East, Sutton Place, El Barrio in East Harlem) received the most votes out of all participating Manhattan Council Districts and ranked second out of the 29 total participating districts for participatory budgeting.
Council Member Menin had previously announced that winning capital projects would be funded up to $1 million. As a result of this year’s overwhelming success and participation, Council Member Menin will be allocating additional capital funding in order to fully fund the top six projects totaling $1,925,232.
The top 3 winning projects are as follows:
New Trees and Tree Guards for District 5 – 1,641 votes; This $150,000 project will install 30 new trees (with tree guards) throughout District 5.
New Security System for PS 198 and PS 77 – 1,570 votes; This $450,000 project provides for the installation of new security cameras for the building that includes both PS 198 and PS 77.
Lighting Upgrades for Stanley Isaacs Park – 1,457 votes; This $420,000 project will install new lighting for the park.
“This year’s participatory budgeting cycle was a phenomenal success and I thank our schools, nonprofits and government partners for helping to get our residents involved. Every vote counts in Participatory Budgeting and I am proud to raise my commitment to nearly $2 million to fund an additional 3 projects in our district. It’s extraordinary that our district finished first in Manhattan and demonstrates our community’s dedication to civic engagement. I look forward to continuing this momentum in the future,” said Council Member Julie Menin.
“Thank you to the people of the Upper East Side for voting to expand our urban forest and add lighting to Stanley Isaacs Playground hockey rink,” said Manhattan Parks Borough Commissioner Anthony Perez. “Each and every tree makes our neighborhoods greener and healthier. These investments will enrich the neighborhood for decades to come.”
“We have been trying – unsuccessfully, to upgrade the lighting at Stanley Isaacs Park for the past decade and have met roadblock after roadblock along the way. We are thrilled to be part of the Participatory Budgeting process and immensely grateful to Council Member Menin and her amazing team for making this happen. New lighting will be game-changing for our league, the other leagues and groups that use the park and the community at large,” said Tom Smith, Executive Director, New York City Roller Hockey League.
Additional Projects to be funded:
Technology Upgrades for MS 114-1,445 votes; This $105,232 project will fund 96 M1 Macbook Airs, 4 Laptop Carts, and 3 Chromebooks (Mediatek MT8183) for East Side Middle School .
PS 217 Bathroom Upgrades– 1.438 votes; This $300,000 project will renovate the bathroom for P.S. 217.
New Security Cameras for Holmes Towers– 1,266 votes; This $500,000 project will install 33 New Security Cameras for Holmes Towers.
Participatory Budgeting (PB) is a democratic process in which community members directly decide how to spend part of Council Member Julie Menin’s discretionary budget on capital projects. About 50 project proposals were submitted and vetted by City agencies to ensure compliance and feasibility. Ballot items had to be a physical infrastructure project that benefits the public, has an estimated cost of at least $50,000 but not more than $550,000, and have a lifespan of at least 5 years.
Residents aged 11 and over of City Council District 5 had the opportunity to vote for up to five projects from a range of ten different projects. Winning projects will be included in the City’s budget at adoption in June 2023 and below is the final vote totals:
| Vote Rank | Project | Cost | Vote Total |
| 1 | New Trees and Tree Guards for District 5 | $150,000 | 1641 |
| 2 | New Security System for PS 198 and PS 77 | $450,000 | 1570 |
| 3 | Lighting Upgrades for Stanley Isaacs Park | $420,000 | 1457 |
| 4 | Technology Upgrades for MS 114 | $105,232 | 1445 |
| 5 | PS 217 Bathroom Upgrades | $300,000 | 1438 |
| 6 | New Security Cameras for Holmes Towers | $500,000 | 1266 |
| 7 | Renovation of PS 527’s Indoor Rooftop Play Space | $200,000 | 1180 |
| 8 | Bathroom Upgrades for Talent Unlimited High School | $250,000 | 1069 |
| 9 | New Garden for PS 151’s Rooftop Play Space | $200,000 | 928 |
| 10 | Gym Pad Upgrades for PS 183 | $100,000 | 742 |
