NEW ROCHELLE, NY (January 23, 2026) — The New Rochelle City Council unanimously voted on January 20, 2026, to establish a Participatory Budgeting Steering Committee, marking a major milestone in launching Year One of the city’s Participatory Budgeting Program.
With the adoption of the 2026 Capital Budget in December 2025 that allocated $200,000 to Participatory Budgeting, New Rochelle becomes the first municipality in Westchester County to adopt a Participatory Budgeting framework and only the third in New York State outside of New York City and Saratoga Springs.
Participatory Budgeting is a democratic process in which community members submit project ideas, develop proposals and vote on how public funds are allocated. The approach promotes transparency, equity and inclusive civic engagement while aligning city resources with community needs.
For the Year One Pilot, Participatory Budgeting will focus on city-owned property surrounding New Rochelle High School, including Huguenot Park and the Twin Lakes area, as well as nearby streets, sidewalks and crosswalks within the city’s Right of Way.
“Participatory Budgeting has seen success in municipalities across the country,” said City Manager Wilfredo Melendez. “We hope that by introducing this program to New Rochelle it will spur more direct participation and interest in the wellbeing of our City.”
“The creation of a Participatory Budgeting framework leverages one of the greatest strengths of New Rochelle: our residents,” said New Rochelle Mayor Yadira Ramos-Herbert. “Establishing the Steering Committee that will create processes and procedures for New Rochelle’s implementation of Participatory Budgeting is an exciting first step of this journey.”
“New Rochelle High School is a landmark that connects our City,” said Councilmember Matthew Stern. “By focusing our pilot here, we are investing in a space that serves our youth and families while testing a model we hope to expand citywide in the upcoming years.”
The Steering Committee will serve as the advisory body to the City Council. It will establish program rules, oversee community outreach and education, review project submissions in coordination with city technical staff, support resident voting efforts and recommend selected projects to the City Council for final approval.
The committee will consist of ten members ensuring diverse representation: seven voting members, all City of New Rochelle residents — six adult residents (one from each City Council District, selected by the council member representing that district) and one youth resident between ages 14 and 18 selected by the mayor; and three non-voting members — one City Council member selected by a majority of the council, one city staff member selected by the city manager and one City School District of New Rochelle representative selected by the superintendent of schools.
The city is seeking New Rochelle residents to serve as voting members of the Participatory Budgeting Steering Committee. Applications are available beginning January 23, 2026, and must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. on February 13, 2026. Applications can be submitted through the city’s website or downloaded in English or Spanish and submitted in person to the Office of the City Clerk at City Hall, 515 North Avenue, during business hours Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
One of the committee’s first responsibilities will be to develop the city’s Participatory Budgeting Rulebook, which will outline the Year One timeline, idea generation, vetting and voting processes, eligibility requirements, project scope, verification methods, participant roles and responsibilities, and evaluation criteria.
The adoption of the Participatory Budgeting Steering Committee underscores New Rochelle’s leadership in innovative local governance and its commitment to empowering residents to play an active role in shaping capital investments in their community.
For more information on eligibility and how to get involved, visit newrochelleny.gov/pb.
This article was drafted with the aid of Grok, an AI tool by xAI, under the direction and editing of Robert Cox to ensure accuracy and adherence to journalistic standards.