The second meeting of the RVAPB Steering Commission in February 2023, was a mix of introductions, deep discussions, and confirmations about the direction of participatory budgeting in Richmond.

We began by meeting our partners at Rhudy and Co. They are helping us to develop how we communicate PB to the broader community through visuals and text. We are starting in on an exciting process about how to make sure everyone in Richmond understands and recognizes this work. Over the next few months, they will be spending time with the commission members to hear their thoughts and then from that being to craft messages that will speak to Richmond. They will be developing a logo and some other media that is going to give RVAPB an identity.

The commission then spent a significant amount of time in discussion about the budget for RVAPB. A primary distinction in this process is the allocation of funding to implement a rigorous year long community engagement process and the outcomes of that process. Thus far the commission has been focused on using $3million for the outcome and we are trying to define the funding that is needed to do the engagement. Overall, the goal is to make sure the efforts is effectively resourced.

The other discussion that took place is how we are going to distribute the $3million around the city. The primary thinking is that each council district will receive a specific sum, but we are also trying to address long term gaps of investment. One idea that the commission discussed is equally allocating the funding around the city, but then putting 40% of those funds into a pot that directly focuses on city wide ideas for underserved communities. This was based on the Justice 40 program that the federal government is integrating into their funding process. This would allocate $200,000 per district, with those districts also helping to decide how another $133,333 would be distributed throughout the city.

At the end of the meeting City Council Vice Chair, Kristen Nye, joined the meeting to talk with the commission about their work. She thanked the commission for what they are doing and then took some specific questions about the budget and timeline.

Meeting Agenda:

- Welcome and Check-in
- Approve Minutes
- Introductions to Rhudy Team
- Talk with Council member Nye
- Discuss the Budget Section of the Rulebook.
- Plan for Next Meeting

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