CITY OF RIJEKA
Citizen participation in decision making and
budgeting in the City of Rijeka
Ante Mađerić
Mayor's Senior Consultant – Financial Affairs Specialist
CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN DECISION MAKING
- Since 2011 E-consultations
- Since 2013 Consultations with the interested public
INCLUSION OF CITIZENS IN BUDGETING:
- Since 2004 Development and maintenance of utility
infrastructure facilities according to citizens' suggestions,
the so-called Utility Priorities (small campaigns) Program
- Since 2005 Rijeka's local partnership program
- Since 2011 Educational online budgeting game
"Proračun(ajme)"
E-consultations (introduced in 2011 according to good
practice examples across the world):
• Detailed, informative and educational, introductory text (links
to documents, overview of good and bad sides of a certain
decision, indicative questions, motivation for discussion)
• Information on the duration of the consultations and the
deadline for the publishing of results/conclusion
• Survey
• Possibility of comments and discussion
• Notifying the media
• Binding conclusion after the consultations
Statistics of 7 conducted consultations:
1,560 citizens participated in the consultations by filling out surveys or writing
comments
Consultations with the interested public (introduced in
2013 as a legal obligation following a prescribed
implementation model)
• Draft decision as a pre-generated working document
• Explanation of the decision which need not be of educational
purpose
• Consultation form which has its form and eliminates the
possibility of more free comments, discussion or survey
• Report on conducted consultations which has its form and
presents a list of adopted and unadopted proposals with brief
explanations
The statistics of 12 conducted consultations with the interested public
36 citizens participated with their proposals in a total of 3 topics; in the other 9,
no remarks/proposals of individuals, associations or bodies have been delivered.
A topic for consideration and further discussions...
• A relative absence of citizen participation in
the legally prescribed model of citizen
inclusion in decision making (consultations)
has been observed
• High level of citizen participation in a more
free, creative and interesting approach (Econsultations)
PARTICIPATIVE BUDGETING
THE BUDGET OF THE CITY OF RIJEKA
app. HRK 800 mil.
SMALL UTILITYSCALE
CAMPAIGNS
PROGRAM
(app. HRK 10 mil.)
RIJEKA'S LOCAL
PARTNERSHIP
PROGRAM
(app. HRK
200,000)
CITIZENS
ONLINE
BUDGETING
GAME
"PRORAČUN(AJME
)"
Proračun(ajme)
In 2011, Rijeka launched an educational online
budgeting game called Proračun(ajme)
Objectives:
-Educate the citizens on how the budget is created,
based on which laws and ordinances, and its elements
-Inform the citizens on the items and amounts of the
current budget
-Enable the citizens to participate in the creation of
the budget
-Plan and adopt the budget considering the needs and
suggestions stated by the citizens
Introductory page. Introductory text on the general overview of the current budget.
Educational part: links on keywords explained in the footer, explanation links to
laws, ordinances and other documents.
Participative part: citizens select the offered projects which are not included in the
current budget. Maximum amount: 60 million. Projects categorized within simplified
budgetary items. In the footer, a detailed description of each of the offered projects. The
amount required for realization also stated.
Informative part: items and amounts of the current budget. Each item is
elaborated in more detail regarding the projects funded through the current budget.
Individual projects are described in the footer.
Game: By reducing the items of the current budget or by increasing the utility fee,
citizens can ensure funds for realizing the previously selected project. Alarms notify the
player when a certain item of the current budget is decreased.
The report is visible after the entire amount for realizing the selected project has been
secured.
The report contains:
-Selected projects
-Amount secured
for their realization
-Top 5 selected
projects (based on
the statistics of
other citizens who
played the game)
-The list of alarms
(informing the
citizen of all the
items he/she has
signed away from
the current budget
to realize the
selected projects)
-
-
-
Comparison of
the current
budget with the
budget created
by the citizen
through the
game
Additional
participation:
field for entry
of proposals for
projects the
citizen wishes
to realize, and
which he/she
has not found
in the list
offered before
Possibility of
sharing the
game on social
networks
Publishing of information:
- www.rijeka.hr
- www.mojarijeka.hr
- www.vojko-obersnel.com
Direct two-way online communication:
- Rijeka on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, G+ and YouTube.
- the Mayor on Facebook and Twitter
- the column „Pitajte, odgovorit ćemo“(„You ask, we answer" ) on the
www.rijeka.hr portal,
- the column „Tužibaba“ („Tattletale”) on the www.mojarijeka.hr portal
- e-mail addresses, of which as much as three official Mayor's e-mails
Other:
- online application „Social Program“
- a number of e-services, such as Insight into Cases
- online forms for using city administration services
Playing the Proračun(ajme) game
http://www.vojko-obersnel.com/hr/proracunaj-me/2015
The game can be accessed directly or through the banner on
the Mayor's web page www.vojko-obersnel.com and from the
city portals www.rijeka.hr and www.mojarijeka.hr