Greensboro City Council reconsider participatory budget process to increase residents' involvement

Greensboro officials are reconsidering the participatory budget process to get more residents involved.

City council discussed the program's shortcomings in a work session last week. The participatory budget allows residents to decide how to spend $500,000 worth of city funds.

According to a report, individuals who use the program are more likely to be older, wealthier and white.

Councilmember Tammi Thurm says the current format isn't working.

"I just think we need to get creative and look at either tweaking this program, or are there other programs, are there other structures that other communities are using that they're having success with that might serve us better," Thurm says.

More than 70 projects have been completed through the participatory budget since 2015.

Thurm says officials should live up to their commitment to fund projects already voted on as they reconsider the program.