In June, Beauregard told the council that the program’s steering committee decided to focus the pilot on the Ridge Street neighborhood.

She said the area was chosen because the lack of a consistent neighborhood association has made it difficult to build a community within the neighborhood and advocate for needs.

The city planned to allow community members to provide ideas for spending the money starting in August. Final proposals were expected by April.

Wheeler said it’s “worth pointing out” that the city facilitated a community-led budgeting initiative with Unity Days, which was a series of events over the summer focused on bringing the community together after the Unite the Right rally.

Unity Days was given $100,000 and a 19-member committee created events. The initiative was managed similar to a participatory budgeting program, but had a more narrow focus.

Slaats didn’t agree with Wheeler’s characterization.

“I definitely think Unity Days was a way for the city to put forward funding and the community to get support for projects in town,” he said. “Participatory budgeting is a much deeper, broader process. … It’s a longer process where you listen to the people in the neighborhood.”