Frequently Asked Questions

• Hartford Decide$ is the first Participatory Budgeting Program in Hartford and the first in the State of Connecticut. It remains the only city-based program of its kind in Connecticut.

• Members of the community brainstorm ideas for projects that will improve Hartford neighborhoods and/or the community at large.

• Those ideas are developed into project proposals by community members with the assistance of Hartford Decide$ staff and volunteers.

• Proposals are put to citywide vote by residents at least 13 years old or older.

• Winning projects receive funding directly from the Capital Improvements Fund set aside by the City of Hartford.

• Hartford 2000 (known as Hartford NEXT now) was inspired to bring Participatory Budgeting to Hartford after seeing it utilized in other major cities around the U.S.

• Hartford 2000, in partnership with the Hartford Public Library, City of Hartford, Leadership Greater Hartford, and Metro Hartford Alliance, introduced Participatory Budgeting to the City Council in March of 2015.

• The five founding partners gave the name Hartford Decide$ to Hartford’s participatory budgeting organization/initiative. Today, Hartford Decide$, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit corporation.

• A Steering Committee was assembled to oversee the process and formed subcommittees to carry out its work. Today, this is done by the Hartford Decide$ Board.

• Participatory Budgeting empowers people to decide together how to spend public money.

• It traces back to 1989, when it was first developed in Brazil. Nowadays, it is used all over the world.

• To watch a video about the Participatory Budgeting process, click here.

• The City of Hartford sets aside a certain amount of Capital Improvement Project Funds each year to implement winning projects, and only for this purpose.

• The Participatory Budgeting process and operations are funded by grants secured by Hartford Decide$.

Board members are selected on the basis of the following characteristics, as expressed through their applications to the Board and interviews with incumbent Board members:

• Skills

• Interests

• Experience

• Race/Ethnicity

• Neighborhood of Residence

• Capital Improvement Project Funds are monies used to benefit the Hartford community at large through the addition of a structural change and/or tangible asset to existing public land or space.

• Capital improvement projects are undertaken to acquire or enhance capital assets and are differentiated from ordinary repairs or maintenance of a recurring nature. They are required to have a useful life of five or more years.

• Examples include:

  • Planting of trees at public schools

  • Painting and installation of murals on city-owned property

  • Physical enhancements (such as warming igloos and skating aids) to a free, publicly-accessible ice skating rink

Any Hartford community member, business owner, or resident may submit project ideas to Hartford Decide$.

All Hartford residents 10 years of age or older are eligible to vote.