District 5 community members are invited to give their input at a Participatory Budgeting Idea Collection Kick-Off in Wapato Park on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, from 6 – 7 p.m. The general public is also welcome to celebrate alongside Tacoma’s District 5 community members.
Earlier this year, the Washington State Department of Commerce awarded the City of Tacoma $650,000 to help community members select a $1.6 million capital project that addresses decarbonization and/or climate resiliency in a community defined as environmentally “overburdened” under state code. Mayor Anders Ibsen and Deputy Mayor and District 5 Council Member Joe Bushnell, along with staff from the City of Tacoma, Parks Tacoma, and the Washington State Department of Commerce will be on hand to answer questions and collect community ideas for how the people of District 5 would like to see this project come to life. Community members will be able to learn more about District 5’s participatory budgeting project, and leave equipped with idea collection materials to help their neighbors submit their own project proposals.
Participatory Budgeting is a democratic process where community members decide how a portion of the public budget is spent. Anyone who lives, works, learns, or plays in District 5 may submit a project proposal during the idea collection phase, which ends September 30, 2026. District 5 community members will be able to submit their ideas through Engage Pierce County, or at events and locations throughout the District to be announced on the Participatory Budget web page. These proposals are then voted on by the community and implemented by the City of Tacoma alongside its funding partners. Voting will be open January 1 through March 17, 2027.
Participatory Budgeting in Tacoma City Council District 5 is supported with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA). The CCA supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health. Information about the CCA is available at climate.wa.gov.
Community members with questions about this event, or requests to receive information in an alternate format, can contact Liesl Santkuyl at lsantkuyl@tacoma.gov. Visit the Participatory Budgeting page to learn more about the process.
Participatory Budgeting Idea Collection Kick-Off
Date: Wednesday, July 29, 2026
Time: 6 – 7 p.m.
Location: Wapato Park Main Picnic Shelter
6500 South Sheridan Avenue
Tacoma, WA 98408