Kick-off for the 2023 citizens' budget

What do an information board on "Environment and Nature" at Jenzig, ground markings for mutual consideration in the city center, a toddler swing in Jena-Nord and a new bench in the church garden in Alt-Winzerla have in common?

For the 5th time now, Jena residents have the opportunity to submit their ideas for improvements in our city. Due to unused funds from previous years, a total of €103,970 will be available in 2023. The deadline for submissions is 31.07.2023.

Christian Gerlitz, Mayor and Head of Department for Urban Development and the Environment, is delighted with the wealth of ideas from the public every year: "Citizens' budget projects show how suggestions for improvement from the public can have a big impact. The commitment of individuals and associations shows the enthusiasm for our beautiful city. I look forward to the submissions."

From submission to the decision on implementation

After submission, the phase for reviewing the proposals begins on August 1st. The Central Coordination Office for Citizen Participation, together with other areas of the administration, checks all proposals for validity against the criteria in the regulations. The result of this review is also discussed in the Citizen Participation Advisory Board before publication on the participation platform.

From October 1, all residents aged 16 and over will be able to vote for their favorites for the citizens' budget during the six-week voting period. Up to five votes can be cast online or by ballot paper. Unlike in previous years, there will be several polling stations throughout the city. The result of the vote will be presented to the public on November 16.

New requirement for the validity of proposals

For a proposal to be valid and voted on in the fall, it must meet a number of requirements. For example, it must serve the general public and the improvement must either be located in a public space or in publicly accessible areas or be accessible to the general public free of charge. In addition, a maximum of €10,000 per proposal can be granted from the citizens' budget as fixed amount or grant funding.

What is new this year is that proposals will not be put to the vote if they are for the benefit of legal entities (e.g. associations, sponsors, organizations and institutions) that received funding from the citizens' budget in the previous year. This does not apply to the City of Jena (in particular its own enterprises).

All important information about the citizens' budget can be found on the participation portal of the City of Jena and on the online participation platform.