Saratoga Springs residents are having their voices heard in how the city spends some of its 2025 budget.
Adult residents of Saratoga Springs can select from 11 proposed projects, allocating no more than $100,000.
Unlike previous years, choices in the participatory budgeting process are not ranked. Rather, votes for each individual project will be tallied and the winners presented by the end of the month.
Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi says this is one of her favorite parts of the job.
“The thing about finance is that most people, their eyes start glazing over as soon as you start talking about numbers. And that’s just the truth. So, participatory budgeting is a great way to get community input on what it is that people want us to be doing for our city, in our city, for our residents. It’s a really great way for people to get involved in, ‘oh my god, sidewalks cost way more than $100,000.’ People don’t realize the real costs of creating a bus shelter or even a plaque,” said Sanghvi.
The budgeting process for the city’s 2025 spending plan was marked by some occasional tension between Sanghvi and Public Safety Commissioner Tim Coll. Coll says his department came in under budget.
Still, Sanghvi defends the participatory program, which accounts for less than a quarter-of-a-percent of the city’s $62.6 million spending plan.
“Yes, you want your public safety to come when you call them, you want your roads plowed when it snows, you want you leaves picked up. But, a lot of what residents also like about Saratoga Springs is we have the 5ks, and we have all these extra-curricular activities. The fireworks on the 4th of July. The little things. The flowers on Broadway. They are amazing and it’s a little touch that makes our city more beautiful, more inviting, more people friendly,” said Sanghvi.
Due to a surge of applications from local organizations, Sanghvi says that this is the largest number of proposed items the program has ever run.
Among the fund-able projects are an outdoor learning center for Geyser Road Elementary School at $19,000, community educational programming at the Saratoga Joinery for $15,000, and replacing a plaque honoring the veterans of the Spanish-American War that was lost in the 2018 City Hall fire priced at $9,800.
“So, we are going to take in a used school bus and retro-fit it. Were going to take out all the seats and put bookshelves in and we’re gong to do some sort of solar type of system where we’re going to have heat and AC so we don’t have to run the bus when we get to places. We want to have an awning so we can set books outside and do story time and everything,” said Erin Smith.
Erin Smith co-founded the Saratoga Literacy League. Since beginning in the summer of 2023, it has given out more than 11,000 books to local children. Her organization is asking for $15,000 to create a book bus.
“It’s going to take a lot of money to do the bus, just to keep it in the maintenance and everything. And just once we get it done, the maintenance of it and everything, so this would just make it possible for the book bus to actually happen. I mean we’ll continue doing other fundraisers and everything but this will really give us that last push to get it done,” said Smith.
Another option for voters is a $5,000 revitilization effort for the Franklin Community Center’s food pantry garden.
Development Director Mary Beth McGarrahan says the funding would allow them to revamp an under-utilized space without drawing money away from their regular services.
“What this will allow is to grow the garden in a proper way. We want to be able to create pathways. We want to be able to create a safe space for community members, neighbors, as well as any clients who utilize our services to be able to go back and have space and be part of something larger that is growing. Having their hands in the earth. Be able to connect with something that is positive. So many times in the lives of our families and the individuals that we serve, there isn’t a lot of positive growth in their lives,” said McGarrahan.
Voting is open until Saturday and the results will be announced at the next city council meeting.