Organizational Structure
The steering committee served as the governing body of CHAS. They designed the rules of the PB process and made key decisions about implementation throughout the process, including recruiting participation from their neighbors. The steering committee met at least monthly (sometimes more frequently) to discuss progress on the PB process, adjust timelines, and assign responsibilities for tasks.
Eight residents served on the steering committee, and six completed survey questionnaires:
- Half had worked with neighbors in the previous year to improve their community
- All members had lived in Denver at least 4 years, and most had lived in Denver for more than 15 years
- Half reported a household income of less than $50,000. The 2016 median household income in Cole was approximately $39,000
The Rules of Cole Has a Soul
One of the key functions of the steering committee was to create the rulebook for CHAS. The steering committee deliberated to identify goals for the process, values that would inform the process, and rules for idea submission, project proposal development, and voting.
CHAS articulated the following goals for the process:
Amplify all Cole voices: Include all community members in the democratic process of PB.
Introduce and increase civic action: Present a process that facilitates meaningful dialogue and decision-making that creates an entry point for civic engagement, navigating government systems, and leads to positive community outcomes.
Promote healthy community practices: Convene community members to effectively solve issues and develop projects that will improve the well-being of all members of the neighborhood.
Pilot a strong, replicable process in Northeast Denver: Demonstrate that using a PB process strengthens civic engagement and increases knowledge of accessing power through a deliberative democratic process.
To achieve these goals, steering committee members identified five core values that would motivate the process:
Community: CHAS strove to unite community members and increase their capacity to affect positive, sustainable change in the neighborhood.
Equity: CHAS was intended to be a fair and just process, both in the distribution of funds to areas with the most need and in the participation garnered from residents.
Inclusion: Steering committee members wanted CHAS to include the entire community, especially those most often excluded from the political process, who face obstacles to participating or have been disillusioned with politics.
Barrier reduction: CHAS sought to reduce obstacles to involvement in the process.
Transparency: CHAS was intended to share information with as many residents as possible and openly make decisions regarding the PB process alongside community members.
Phase I: Idea Collection
Anyone could submit a project idea for Cole Has a Soul, and there were no limits placed on initial ideas. The steering committee planned and implemented one structured outreach event in May 2018 at the local rec center to collect project ideas. Other strategies for idea collection were ad hoc, often relying on steering committee member personal networks. Lastly, residents could submit ideas online.
Phase II: Project Proposal Development
Residents who volunteer to take initial project ideas and develop them into full-fledged project proposals are typically called "budget delegates" in North American PB processes. However, the CHAS steering committee gave these volunteers the title of "ChangeMaker." There were no limits on who could become a ChangeMaker, and their responsibilities included organizing ideas, researching potential projects, deciding details for eligible projects, and engaging other community members to develop viable projects of interest to other community members. Project eligibility criteria included: feasibility, community need, and community impact.
Phase III: Voting
Voting was planned to occur across a two-week period, and the steering committee organized a project expo (similar to a science fair) that allowed neighbors to learn about the projects on the ballot and ask questions about them before casting their vote. Community members were eligible to vote if they were at least 10 years old and lived, worked, played, or prayed in the Cole neighborhood. Residents were allowed to vote for three projects on their ballot. Voting occurred in person at the local recreation center and online.