Chicagoans Can Vote On How Park District Should Spend $500,000. Here’s How To Cast Your Ballot

CHICAGO — The Park District is, for the first time, asking Chicagoans to vote on how it will use $500,000 to make improvements to parks citywide.

The Park District is using participatory budgeting this year, allowing Chicago residents to rank how they think the agency should prioritize funding among four categories of projects. The agency will use the results to help determine how those categories receive funding from the $500,000 pool.

All Chicagoans 13 and older can vote via an online form or by completing a paper ballot at any Park District fieldhouse or at a community outreach event through Aug. 27.

The four categories community members can rank:

• Accessibility, public safety and inclusion, which covers ADA-accessible playground equipment, accessible pathways and ramps, improved lighting and security cameras.
• Recreation infrastructure includes basketball and tennis court upgrades, ballfield renovations and other facility improvements.
• Permanent fixtures and park amenities, which covers benches, picnic tables and bike racks.
• Nature and beautification projects include work on new trees, pollinator gardens, nature play areas and landscaping improvements.

“Participatory budgeting gives residents a direct voice in shaping the future of our parks,” parks Supt. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa said in an email announcing the voting process. “Every idea submitted and every vote cast helps ensure the district’s investments reflect the priorities of the communities we serve.”

The call for votes comes after community members submitted more than 1,000 ideas to improve Chicago parks between Jan. 17 and March 31, Ramirez-Rosa said in his email. Park District staff reviewed the ideas for feasibility and consolidated similar proposals, and a volunteer committee of 10 Chicagoans from across the city organized more than 300 eligible ideas into the four categories that appear on the ballot in June, according to the email.

The Park District will work to fund as many projects as possible within the winning category, Ramirez-Rosa wrote in his email. The agency will ensure it implements at least nine projects, with a minimum of three in each of the Park District’s north, central and south regions.

The Park District will announce the winning category in early September and the specific projects selected for funding in November. The Park District expects construction and implementation to begin in spring 2027, Ramirez-Rosa wrote.

The Park District plans to hold future participatory budget cycles, according to its website.

“I encourage you to cast your ballot, invite your friends, family, and neighbors to participate, and help shape the future of Chicago’s parks,” Ramirez-Rosa said in the email.

Chicagoans can find the online ballot here and can learn more about the Park District’s participatory budgeting here.