Participatory Budgeting Committee

Saratoga Springs, NY, Participatory Budgeting Committee (PBC) Minutes of Committee Meeting August 29, 2022 A quorum being present, the meeting was called to order by the PBC Chair, Mary Estelle Ryckman, in the City Hall second floor conference room at 5:35PM. Committee members: Mary Estelle Ryckman, Norah Brennan, Danielle Lepper, Tim Holmes, and Jeff Altamari. Others: Samantha Clemmey was present from the Finance Department. The previously distributed minutes of the August 15, 2022 PBC meeting were unanimously approved. The Chair reported that Jonathan Jeerapaet has resigned from the PBC due to work demands on his time. Most of the meeting was a robust discussion of possible voting methods. Norah Brennan presented a comprehensive review of options for voting and concluded her presentation with recommendations for using a digital methodology, the Stanford PB Platform, and knapsack voting. There was discussion of the information including verification and validation of votes, underscoring this process is not the same as electoral voting. Lessons learned in Cambridge MA and other localities were provided. Committee members agreed with the conclusions. Next steps are for committee members to review the recommendations with the Commissioner of Finance and Deputy Commissioner for their views. Updates were provided on several of the proposals and project leads were asked for summarize each of their projects to help in preparation of outreach materials for use in the ballot as appropriate. The next PBC meeting will be held September 19, 2022, at 5:30pm. The meeting adjourned at 6:45pm.