Proposal phase for Jena's citizens' budget begins

What do an information board on the Jägerberg, a ground trampoline on the west sports field and a swing at the Hugo youth center have in common? All of these projects exist in Jena thanks to the citizens' budget. Since 2019, part of the city of Jena's budget has been available just for residents. They can contribute their ideas as to which projects should be implemented with the budget. And later, all citizens of Jena aged 16 and over can vote on them.

New period for submissions

The proposal phase for the Jena citizens' budget starts on 01.06.2022 - one month earlier than last year - and ends on 31.07.2022. During these two months, all Jena residents will once again have the opportunity to submit their ideas for improvements for a total of 100,000 euros. The following applies: no more than 10,000 euros may be spent per proposal.

"This year, we have brought forward the time for submitting proposals. This gives us more time to review all proposals before the vote. Last year, we received 62 proposals, almost twice as many as in previous years. This is a very good sign that the citizens' budget is being increasingly well received. Despite the earlier start, there are once again two full months available for submissions. Of course, I hope to receive many proposals once again, which Jena's residents can vote on," says Christian Gerlitz, Mayor and Head of Urban Development and Environment.

For a proposal to be valid and voted on in the fall, other criteria must be met in addition to the 10,000 euro upper limit. For example, it must serve the general public and the improvement must either be located in a public space or in publicly accessible areas or be accessible to the general public free of charge. All important information about the citizens' budget can be found on the city of Jena's participation portal at or on the online participation platform(link is external).

Online submission directly via the participation platform

For the first time this year, proposals can be submitted online via the participation platform. Registration is required for this. However, as voting will also take place via the platform this year, it is worth registering. And even beyond that, as the city's informal participation projects will be accessible online on the participation platform in future.

The Central Coordination Office for Citizen Participation will check the validity of the proposals. If a proposal is invalid, the coordination office will publish a justification on the participation platform for all to see. In addition, the coordination office will also provide advice to all interested parties and those submitting proposals.

Contact person

Central Coordination Office for Citizen Participation
Kai Ostermann
Telephone: 03641 49-5137
E-mail: kai.ostermann@jena.de(link sends email)