Participatory budgeting as a step forward
The First Deputy Head of Khmeliv Village Council Nataliia Baliura stated:
“We were willing to implement participatory budgeting earlier but lacked the knowledge. Thanks to the training held by U-LEAD, which we completed together with the deputy head of the village, Maryna Anisimova, we were able to figure out exactly how it works and develop the relevant documents. We received six projects from residents for review, including the development of a recreation area, separate waste collection and containers, the creation of a museum room, as well as ideas for creating barrier-free spaces. We welcome them wholeheartedly. Clearly, people want to make life in their municipality better despite the war.”
According to Nataliia, the process focused heavily on explaining the situation to members of the council, local self-government officials and the general public. People were encouraged to submit their proposals and were told that they could actually be involved in decisions on funding local initiatives and contribute to the development of the municipality.
Preparing the participatory budget
Khmeliv municipality took part in U-LEAD’s support programme the Development and Implementation of Participatory Budgeting. Together with experts, they developed the Regulation and saw how this tool works in practice.
The programme’s goal was simple: to provide knowledge and skills so that the authorities and the municipality could learn to cooperate and transparently allocate part of the local budget.
The village council adopted the Regulation on Participatory Budgeting on 19 June 2025. Next came the call for proposals, and as of today, residents have voted for the ideas they consider best. Three projects have been selected as winners, and their implementation is scheduled for 2026. The municipality budget has allocated UAH 100,000 for the implementation of the projects.
“Ideas that failed to receive enough votes and will not be financed through the participatory budget in the current period will not go unnoticed. We will look for opportunities to support and finance them. It is important for us that residents’ ideas have a chance to be implemented,” said Nataliia Baliura.
Why is this important?
Khmeliv shows how, even in the difficult conditions of the war, it is possible to seek ways to develop rather than give up. In wartime, the municipality directs most of its budget resources to priority needs. Although the budget allocated to support public initiatives is not particularly large, it still allows for the implementation of projects that are important to residents. “People will feel involved in decision-making and the life of the municipality, and we are delighted that U-LEAD helps them with this,” said Rostyslav Savchenko, the Head of the Regional Office of U-LEAD with Europe in Sumy Oblast.
“Participatory budgeting is an important tool for engaging people in the development of the municipality. This promotes democracy even in the localities close to the enemy lines and in wartime. This is how the municipalities of Sumy Oblast reaffirm their aspiration to be part of the EU.”
