About the Green Participatory Budgeting

1) What are Participatory Budgets?

Through the participatory budget, residents decide how to allocate a portion of the budget of Stalowa Wola. Every year, residents come up with and submit projects, and then vote on which ones will be implemented. This way, they collectively decide what will be developed in their local area and city.

2) What projects can be funded by the Green Participatory Budget?

Projects that can be submitted to the Green Civic Budget include:

Projects falling within the scope of the tasks of the Municipality of Stalowa Wola and addressing at least one thematic area from the catalog below:

• Planting and maintenance of vegetation in urban green spaces, such as:

  • Planting vegetation in parks, green areas, squares, urban residential areas, and along streets.

  • Implementing new plantings or supplementing existing vegetation in urban green spaces.

  • Establishing and maintaining flower meadows and beds with insect-friendly plants in urban areas.

  • Caring for plantings and conserving existing tree stands in urban areas, including natural monuments.

• New green spaces in urban areas, such as:

  • Public spaces shaped by greenery.

  • Costs for equipment for play and recreation and small architectural elements are allowed, provided that the planned expenditures predominantly involve increasing greenery to combat climate change.

• Building thematic gardens in urban areas, such as:

  • Community gardens.

  • Sensory gardens.

  • Micro-retention facilities – rain gardens, retention basins, retention greenery, which manage stormwater from nearby impervious surfaces, established with a dominant presence of vegetation in the ground or containers, with the primary function of water infiltration into the soil.

• Renovation and modernization of existing urban green spaces, such as:

  • Improving the state of existing parks, green areas, squares, street green belts, and residential green spaces through the renovation of existing greenery, supplementing plantings, localized repairs of paths and squares, and the renovation, conservation, or replacement of old small architectural elements and their supplementation.

• Ecological activities, such as:

  • Educational, cultural, informational, and infrastructural or investment activities related to ecology and adaptation to climate change.

Additional Requirements:

• Projects must be feasible within the budget year.

• The cost of implementation must be between PLN 10,000 and PLN 100,000.

• The projects must be accessible free of charge to the residents of the Municipality of Stalowa Wola.

• Projects must specify recruitment principles, including how recruitment is communicated, the start and end dates, and selection criteria if the project is aimed at a limited group of recipients.

• Projects must be located on properties (land, buildings, premises, etc.) for which the Municipality of Stalowa Wola has legal rights to manage.

3) Where can I download and submit the project application form for the Green Participatory Budget?

Projects and required attachments can be submitted from September 12, 2024, to November 7, 2024, in the following ways:

Electronically:

• Via the Digital Participation Platform - https://decyduje.stalowawola.pl/strona/zielony-budzet-obywatelski

In paper form:

• Personally at the City Office of Stalowa Wola, Wolności 7, 37-450 Stalowa Wola, Customer Service Office, room 1, from Monday to Friday, during office hours: 7:30 AM - 3:30 PM, in a sealed envelope marked "Green Civic Budget."

• By mail (post) in a sealed envelope marked "Green Civic Budget" to: City Office of Stalowa Wola, Wolności 7, 37-450 Stalowa Wola - the date of receipt at the City Office determines the acceptance.

• At the meeting on September 18, 2024, aimed at assisting residents in preparing projects.

Project Application Form:

• The electronic version is available in the Green Participatory Budget section.

• The paper version is available at the City Office of Stalowa Wola, in the SCAL Department. It can also be downloaded below:

  • Project application form in WORD format

  • Project application form in PDF format

The SCAL Department staff also provides assistance in preparing the project.

SCAL Department (Stalowowolskie Centrum Aktywności Lokalnej)

Mostostal Building

Al. Jana Pawła II 25a

Room 608, VI floor

37-450 Stalowa Wola

Phone: +48 15 643 34 11

Phone: +48 792 983 300

Email: decyduje@stalowawola.pl

Electronic submissions can only be made by registered and logged-in users on the Digital Participation Platform who meet the criteria specified in the Green Civic Budget Regulations, available in the section above.

4) Can I submit a project if I am not logged in to the Platform?

No. To submit a project, you must register and log in to the Platform. The project submission function is available only to logged-in users who meet the criteria specified in the Green Participatory Budget Regulations, available in the section above.

5) Who can submit projects and vote in the Green Participatory Budget?

Only residents of the Municipality of Stalowa Wola can submit projects and vote in the Green Participatory Budget.

Note: Projects and votes of minors must be approved by a parent or legal guardian by providing the appropriate details in the project application form or voting card.

6) How many projects can I submit as an author?

As an author, you can submit a maximum of 3 projects.

7) How many projects can I submit as a co-author?

There is no limit. You can be a co-author of any number of projects.

8) Can the same project be submitted by several residents?

One application can have one author and up to 5 co-authors, but the same project cannot be submitted multiple times.

9) I live in Stalowa Wola but am not registered. Can I submit a project?

Yes, if you indicate in the project that you actually live in the Municipality of Stalowa Wola and meet other required conditions specified in the Green Participatory Budget Regulations, available in the section above.

10) I do not live in Stalowa Wola. Can I submit a project?

Unfortunately, no. For the Green Participatory Budget, only residents of Stalowa Wola can submit projects and vote.

11) I am a foreigner living in Stalowa Wola without a PESEL number. Can I submit a project or vote?

Foreigners without a PESEL number can submit a project or vote by presenting a travel document issued by the country of which the project submitter or voter is a citizen to the designated employee of the City Office of Stalowa Wola. For this matter, you can contact the SCAL Department at +48 792 983 300. You must also meet the other conditions specified in the Green Participatory Budget Regulations, available in the section above.

12) Why is a PESEL number required for voting?

The PESEL number is a unique personal data identifier that allows us to check if someone has participated in voting multiple times. According to the principles of the civic budget, each resident of Stalowa Wola can vote only once. Additionally, the PESEL number helps verify the correctness of the vote by checking the personal data provided during voting, such as name, address, or age. It ensures that only eligible individuals, as per the Green Civic Budget Regulations, available in the section above, participate in the voting.

13) What if the author wants to designate another person to contact regarding the project?

If the project was submitted by the author and co-authors, the author is the primary contact person for matters related to the project. After submitting the project, the author may designate another person among the co-authors to handle communications by sending this information either by mail or electronically to decyduje@stalowawola.pl. In such a case, only the designated person is authorized to handle project-related communications.

14) What happens if I submit my project on paper? How will it be entered into the Digital Participation Platform?

All submitted projects are published on the Digital Participation Platform. According to the ZBO Regulations, submitting a project to the Green Participatory Budget is equivalent to creating an account for the author/co-authors that allows managing the project on the Digital Participation Platform. This also applies to projects submitted in paper form. In such cases, the Platform administrator will create the necessary accounts for the author/co-authors of the paper-submitted project and complete the electronic project form with data reflecting the paper submission.

15) Can I edit my project?

You can edit your project until it is submitted for evaluation electronically or until it is submitted in paper form.

16) Can I withdraw my project?

You can withdraw your project up until the day before voting starts. To withdraw a project, you can:

• Through the Digital Participation Platform – by clicking the WITHDRAW button next to your project.

• By email to decyduje@stalowawola.pl

• By mail to the City Hall of Stalowa Wola, ul. Wolności 7, 37-450 Stalowa Wola.

For written withdrawals, the date of receipt at the City Hall determines the adherence to the deadline.

17) Where does the money for Participatory Budgets come from?

The financial resources for implementing residents' ideas come from the city's budget. These are not additional funds but part of the city's funds allocated to be directly distributed by the residents of Stalowa Wola for projects they like the most.

18) What is the Stalowa Wola Green Participatory Budget for 2025?

The total amount allocated for projects under the Green Participatory Budget for 2025 is 300,000 PLN.

19) Is there a minimum and maximum value for a project?

Yes. The value of a single project submitted to the Green Participatory Budget must be between 10,000 PLN and 100,000 PLN.

20) On what basis are estimated costs verified?

Estimated costs listed in the project are verified by the Team for Youth and Green Civic Budget, appointed by the Mayor of Stalowa Wola, responsible for the project selection procedure according to the ZBO Regulations. This team consists of qualified staff from the City Hall of Stalowa Wola, who will verify the project's budget based on the city's experience with similar projects and current market prices.

21) What happens if the estimated costs are poorly prepared?

If the Youth and Green Participatory Budget Team finds that the estimated costs are incorrectly prepared (e.g., inflated, deflated, missing expenses, or unnecessary expenses) and if it is possible to correct them, the team will adjust the project's cost details accordingly. According to the Regulations, cost changes proposed by the Team do not require the author's consent. However, the Team may contact the author for a better understanding of the cost estimates.

All other changes to the project, aside from those related to costs, are proposed by the evaluating team with justification and require the author's consent, which must be provided in paper or electronic form within 5 calendar days from the proposal of these changes.

22) Where can I find information about the verification of my project?

Information about the verification result of the project is:

• Published on the Digital Participation Platform by 08.11.2024.

• Provided to the author by phone or email immediately after being published on the Digital Participation Platform.

Information about a negative verification result is given to the author along with justification.

You can also view projects and their evaluation results in the PROJECTS section.

23) My project was negatively evaluated. Can I appeal the evaluation result, and if so, how?

Yes. If you disagree with the project's evaluation result, you can appeal it. The appeal against a negative verification result should be directed to the Mayor of Stalowa Wola. The appeal must include at least the following elements:

• The name and surname of the appellant.

• The project name.

• Indication of objections to the project verification with justification.

• Signature of the appellant – for paper appeals or confirmation of the appeal – for electronic appeals.

It is important to clearly and rationally justify objections to the project's verification, providing specific arguments supporting your position.

You can submit an appeal in paper form to the City Hall of Stalowa Wola, ul. Wolności 7, 37-450 Stalowa Wola, or electronically through the Digital Participation Platform – by sending an email to decyduje@stalowawola.pl.

Make sure to check the schedule for the time frame available for appeals. The schedule for the Green Participatory Budget for 2025 indicates that appeals against project exclusions from voting can be submitted within 7 days from the publication of the project list after evaluation. The deadline is determined by the date of receipt of the appeal at the City Hall of Stalowa Wola or submission through the Digital Participation Platform. If an appeal is submitted and considered, the project will undergo re-evaluation, focusing only on the contested issues. There is no obligation to contact the author during the appeal review process. Following the appeal review, the negative evaluation result may be upheld or changed to positive. In the latter case, the project can proceed to voting. There is no further appeal after the appeal review. Information about the appeal review result is published on the Digital Participation Platform and communicated to the author by phone or email within 10 days from the date of the appeal submission.

24) What determines whether a project wins in the voting?

Officials verify project proposals from a formal, legal, and financial perspective. They check whether the task can be completed within a calendar year and whether it is planned for areas owned by the municipality. The project must comply with the law, including principles of financial prudence, and not exceed the strategy and programs adopted in Stalowa Wola. Officials also ensure that projects do not conflict with ongoing or planned initiatives in Stalowa Wola in the same area. Officials working in relevant departments possess the necessary knowledge and experience for evaluating projects. Projects that pass this stage are allowed to proceed to voting. During the voting period specified in the schedule, eligible voters can choose the projects they like the most (e.g., those that best address their needs). Therefore, it is worth striving to ensure your project reaches a broad audience, is coherent, clear, and attractive. Before submitting your project, consider the needs of your community. It could be something that makes residents' lives easier, improves the city's aesthetics, contributes to environmental protection, or increases residents' knowledge about ecology and environmental protection. Implementing a project is often a complex task. Find people who share your vision and are willing to help prepare and promote the project, as well as gather a sufficiently large group to vote for it, increasing the chances of your idea being realized. Also, carefully consider the project name to attract attention and convey the project's main idea, as the name will be one of the key elements visible during the project selection process.

25) If my idea is selected in the voting, will I receive money for its implementation?

No. The Green Participatory Budget is not a grant program. Residents submit projects, vote on them, and the implementation of the approved proposals is the responsibility of the Municipality of Stalowa Wola. Funds for the winning project are transferred directly to the contractor who executes the task.

26) What are the principles for implementing projects selected by residents?

Projects selected by residents are included in the budget of Stalowa Wola and implemented by the municipality. Residents are the idea creators, and the implementation of the projects selected through voting is the responsibility of the Municipality of Stalowa Wola. Projects are carried out in accordance with generally applicable legal regulations (including the Public Procurement Law and the Public Finance Act). Contractors (suppliers of goods, service providers, construction contractors) will be chosen according to the principles of public procurement in Stalowa Wola, such as through a tender, request for quotations, or a competition for non-governmental organizations.