Inside tower one at Tracey Towers, volunteers man a small table inside the lobby. It’s the day before Participatory Budgeting—an initiative that allows residents within a Council District to decide how $1 million in capital funds should be used—and some tenants stop to make their voices heard on paper.

It’s the afternoon of April 4, and Delores Edwards and Evelyn McDonald, lure some familiar faces to complete ballots featuring the list of Participatory Budget projects residents spent months hammering out. The projects would impact the neighborhood, part of the 11th Council District that’s represented by Councilman Andrew Cohen. For the last five years, Cohen has left residents to decide how 20 percent of the $5 million he receives in capital funding should be spent.

While the question of what residents would do with $1 million in capital funding may sound simple enough, there are caveats that often get lost. Projects included for consideration must be over $35,000, have at least five years’ longevity, and be a public benefit.

Ironically, 11 projects were up for a vote for the 11th Council District. This year’s projects included improved amenities at local libraries, roadways, and real-time bus arrival information that would serve the entire district. The largest ticket item on the list is the installation of an HVAC system at Spuyten Duyvil Library earmarked for $600,000.

Maggie Robinson, a Norwood resident of 40 years, stopped by the table to fill out her ballot. She carefully assessed the projects, marking the top five projects she thought would greatly benefit her community. “Well, I always felt and I always want the very best for the neighborhood, and for myself. So if I vote, I hope that my vote will be counted, and supported by other people,” she said.

Next came Lois Belin, a 40-year resident, who finds the prospect of voting for improved neighborhood conditions a no-brainer. “The roads are definitely the problem. They are bumpy, they are not smooth. There are potholes everywhere,” said Belin, who also wants traffic flow to improve. “Just go up Jerome Avenue and you’ll see cars sitting.”

William Belin, another resident at Tracey Towers, carefully vetted each of the projects while running through the list.

Residents didn’t need to stop by the number of volunteer tables peppered across the district. They could have also voted online, another way of boosting the kind of civic engagement Participatory Budgeting is intended to create. This year saw 721 voters take advantage of the online voting platform.

Chosen projects will have the funds allocated during this year’s New York City Fiscal Year 2020 budget that goes into effect in July.