“Participatory Democracy started after a process that saw me actively engaged with all the actors involved”: these are the first words of the councilor for social services of Agrigento Marco Vullo who expresses all his satisfaction for the fact that citizens can be protagonists of an active and incisive civic spirit for the territory.
“Here – explains Vullo – is what needs to be done in full: from last June 28th until next September 30th all residents who have already turned 16, but also informal groups and associations with operational or legal headquarters in Agrigento, can present proposals within the scope of the application of the regional law on participatory democracy. The proposals received will subsequently be voted on to choose which ones to implement, as provided for by the regional law, which requires Sicilian municipalities to “involve citizens in the choice of actions of common interest” to be financed with “at least 2% of annual regional transfers. To participate by presenting a proposal, it is necessary to follow the instructions contained in the notices published on June 28th by the Municipality of Agrigento, relating to the years 2023 and 2024. The notices are available on the home page of the Municipality’s website, in the “Participatory Democracy” section, and on the “Città di Agrigento” app.
The available amounts are equal to €6,593.31 for 2023 and €7,387.34 for 2024. Since 2023, Agrigento has been one of the pilot territories in which the civic monitoring project “Spendiamoli Insieme” is committed to promoting good application of the regional law on participatory democracy. In Agrigento, the “Spendiamoli Insieme” team works in collaboration with local partners Acuarinto and Agora Mundi. The project is implemented within the framework of the call for proposals “Realizziamo il cambiamento con il Sud”, with the support of the Fondazione Realizza il Cambiamento, Fondazione Con il Sud and ActionAid International Italia ETS
“The opening of the proposal presentation phase is a historic novelty for the Municipality of Agrigento – explain the representatives of ‘Spend them Together’ – and in fact in past years these resources intended for the involvement of citizens were not used. For our part, and thanks to the collaboration of local partners Acuarinto and Agorà Mundi, we will support this process by organizing public meetings and assemblies open to the Agrigento population, with a particular focus on people with a migratory background who live in the area, to encourage maximum information and therefore maximum participation in the process”.
“We are taking another step in the direction of opening up to popular participation – adds councilor Vullo – and, following the approval last December by the City Council of the new regulation for the implementation of participatory democracy processes, now, with the publication of notices, we give 90 days for the submission of proposals. After a phase of technical evaluation by the municipal offices, a vote will follow to choose which projects to implement. The entire process will be accompanied by information initiatives in the squares and online, via the City of Agrigento app, so that a truly inclusive process can be achieved. I am counting on the involvement of thousands of residents and also that of a large number of foreign people living in Agrigento.”
