Durham Reporter

Bull City residents are invited to share their ideas for projects they’d like to see included in next year’s budget by participating in upcoming Community Conversations.

Hearing from you will help us better understand what’s important to you as we develop the budget for fiscal year 2024-2025 (FY24-25). Our Budget and Management Services Department has partnered with ETR Services to facilitate conversations at in-person events where our residents can weigh in with their ideas. Your input will then help inform our conversations as we hold February and March Budget Retreats with the City Council.

Each Community Conversation event will begin with a brief overview of the process. Then attendees will join smaller groups for discussions based on priority areas:

• Safe Communities (public safety, crime reduction, reducing recidivism, and community policing)
• Infrastructure (land use, sidewalks, parks, transportation, roads, physical activity infrastructure)
• Housing (affordable housing, homelessness, food insecurity)
• Workforce Development (training programs, job fairs)

In-person conversations are scheduled for January 20 at the I.R. Holmes Recreation Center (200 S. Alston Ave.) and January 23 at the Durham Armory (212 Foster St.). In-person attendees 16 years old and over are eligible for a $50 gift card. Food and beverage, on-site childcare, and Spanish interpretation are also being provided.

Residents can also provide input on how to frame our Community Conversations by submitting their feedback through a brief online survey. Participants who submit a completed survey will be entered into a raffle for one-of-20 $50 gift cards.

The budget schedule calls for the FY24-25 budget to be adopted on June 17.

Come join us for these Community Conversations and let your voice be heard on your funding priorities early in our budget development process.

Original source can be found here.