Riga puts development projects to a referendum

Residents from the capital’s neighbourhoods will decide which initiatives will get a green light

The official website of the Riga City Council has announced that starting today and until 27 December, local residents will be able to place their vote on which development communal projects should be approved for funding.

The authorities have decided that the citizens who will benefit from the various initiatives are best suited to decide on which ones ought to go ahead with implementation. It has been stated that 15 projects will be selected for funding from the tender evaluation commission.

A great example of participatory democracy in development decision-making

Naturally, there are some rules both for the proposal submissions and for the voters’ eligibility.

Tender proposals can be submitted by non-governmental organizations, associations and foundations which serve the interests of Riga neighbourhoods. They cannot have commercial, religious or political nature and will have to result in a long-term improvement of a public area from the respective neighbourhood.

The rules also stipulate that projects cannot go over a 100 000-euro budget limit. As of the time of writing of this article, 24 projects have been submitted for consideration.

All of the proposals can be reviewed in more detail by going to www.balso.riga.lv (in Latvian). Alternatively, anyone who is interested can also go in person to the Riga City Council Visitor Reception Centre and consult the available information or even vote there.

The voting process can also be done virtually. If choosing the online route, residents can place their votes at the above-mentioned project review website.

In order to vote in the competition, the person has to be at least 16 years of age. Everyone is allowed only one vote, and after placing it will have the option to fill a survey in order to suggest how the competition could be improved.