The Chamber of Faro is implementing the first edition of its Participatory Budget (PB), which will have a total allocation of 150 thousand euros. The period for submitting proposals is open from this Thursday, 17th of September, and runs until 5th of October, while the voting period takes place between 1st and 15th of December.
In all, the Municipality will allocate an amount of 145 thousand euros for the Participatory Budget and 5 thousand euros for the OP Faro-Schools – to be developed later with students in the 3rd cycle or secondary education.
All citizens aged 18 years or over who reside, work or study in the municipality of Faro may submit proposals and vote. Proposals may be presented to be implemented throughout the territory of the municipality of Faro, in the thematic areas included in the competences of the Municipality of Faro (Sport, Culture, Social Action, Education, Animal Cause, Tourism, etc.), with a maximum value of 30 thousand euros per proposal.
In this instrument and participatory process, each participant will be able to make a proposal and vote on two projects. The most voted projects by the citizens will be the winners until the budget of 145 thousand euros is exhausted, and each parish/União de Freguesias will have at least one winning project. The winning projects will be announced in December, and their execution should take place in 2021.
the OP of Faro is supported by its operation an internet portal, where the participation rules can be consulted or proposals submitted. The timing and process of implementing the OP Faro has undergone changes compared to the initial model planned and will be exclusively digital, given the situation of the Covid-19 pandemic. Thus, and in accordance with the recommendations of the General Directorate of Health, face-to-face participatory assemblies will be excluded.
However, the Municipality expresses its concern to make this process as inclusive as possible and to enable the participation of all. In this sense, some places were chosen thinking of the population that does not use the internet, where interested parties can present their proposals and vote.
In person registration can thus be made at the Neighborhood Office (Rua José Rosário Silva, n. 56), Municipal Library of Faro (Rua Carlos Porfírio), Division of Social Intervention and Participatory Policies (Praça José Afonso, n. 1), Parish Council of Montenegro (Rua Dr. Carlos Paião, Loja P, Montenegro), Parish Council of Santa Bárbara de Nexe ( Sítio do Poço Mouro, n. 16, Santa Bárbara de Nexe), Union of Parishes of Faro (Rua Teixeira Guedes, n. 2) and Parish Union of Conceição de Faro (Rua das Alfarrobeiras, n. 2, Conceição de Faro) and Estoi (Largo Ossónoba, n. 71, Estoi).
To Rogério Bacalhau, president of the Chamber of Faro, this is «a fundamental tool to promote the informed, active and constructive participation of citizens in the management of the Municipality of Faro, and, in this sense, it is intended to be a live and participative process, in which the municipality and the best way to contribute to its development and to the improvement of the quality of life of its inhabitants are discussed».
The mayor does not hide his expectations for this first edition, “because our residents are, as a rule, very demanding and participative and this critical spirit, when constructive, is extremely useful for us to further improve our public space and meeting needs and anxieties that we often do not prioritize due to other options».
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