Narva-Jõesuu has run the process nine times, spending €30,000 a year on projects including sidewalk repairs, fountains and a shorefront Wisdom Trail dotted with display boards featuring quotes from famous figures. But city officials say public interest is waning, ideas are getting repetitive and many proposals are simply too expensive.

"Over the past three years at least, the same proposal has come up again and again: let's renovate the resort hall," Mayor Maksim Iljin said, noting that €30,000 is nowhere near enough to overhaul the long-abandoned building.

"It's clear participatory budgeting has run its course in Narva-Jõesuu," he added.

Iljin said the city should instead focus on supporting local nonprofits and community organizations.

Narva, meanwhile, has spent up to €300,000 a year on participatory budgeting, but some winning projects have proved too expensive to complete, including Paju Park on Rakvere tänav and a boat ramp on Jõe tänav.

No new big projects

The city paused the collection of new proposals two years ago and now believes the annual participatory budget should be slashed to a tenth of its current size to focus on smaller projects.

"That's the problem — people come up with these big ideas that end up requiring public procurements and quotes," said Narva City Council chair Urbo Vaarmann.

He argued that unfinished projects should be completed before the city starts over with a new approach focused on "nice little projects."

In Narva-Jõesuu, the fate of participatory budgeting is on the city council agenda later this month. Narva city officials, meanwhile, are expected to make a decision within the next four months.

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