Good afternoon and thank you to Chair Restler and the Committee on Governmental Operations for holding this hearing today. This is my third budget cycle as Brooklyn Borough President, and the third time I am submitting budget testimony about community boards to this committee (which has oversight) even though they are not on the hearing agenda. Community boards are a critical link between the public and City government, weighing in on important issues that impact everything from small businesses to street safety to the availability of affordable housing, and their individual budgets, as well as the support they receive from external partners, deserves the Council’s attention.
It is worth noting that adding community boards to today’s agenda would be difficult, since there is no one agency responsible for supporting their work. In practice, each community board is its own independent agency. However, due to their very small budgets, the boards cannot exercise the full complement of services generally performed by a City agency, including but not limited to procurement, human resources, and information technology support, without assistance. In fact, because of their extremely limited budgets – with no baselined increase since 2014 – the boards are struggling just to maintain their basic Charter-mandated functions.
Accordingly, the City Charter tasks both Borough Presidents and the Civic Engagement Commission (CEC) with providing technical assistance and training to community boards. However, my office is simply not funded to provide the full scope of the support and technical assistance that the boards need to meet and exceed their Charter-mandated functions, and the Civic Engagement Commission is facing major proposed budget cuts that will hinder their already limited work in this area.
Perhaps because the CEC is a relatively new office, created by Charter Revision in 2019, they are one of many newly created Mayoral offices that are not currently assigned to a City Council Committee for oversight. I urge the Speaker to take action on this, as the Mayor’s proposed cuts to the CEC will have consequences not only for community boards, but also for the CEC’s other Charter-mandated functions, such as administering citywide participatory budgeting. The Council should have the opportunity to question the administration about these proposed cuts.
The situation wherein three entities – the community boards themselves, the Borough Presidents’ Offices, and the CEC – all have a role in ensuring that the boards can carry out their duties, yet all three are underfunded and understaffed to do so, is why I am calling for the creation of a new Office of Community Boards that would become a central resource for assisting the boards with technology, policies and procedures, human resources, legal counsel, training, and other needs. I know this is a big ask when the city is facing difficult financial times; however, it’s a question of equity. No other City agency goes without vital support services, and the community boards should not have to, either.
Examples of services that the Office of Community Boards could provide, which District Managers from across the city are asking for, include:
- Professional technical assistance in land use planning to inform the boards’ role in the ULURP process;
- Assistance with identifying public meeting space that meets accessibility requirements;
- Human resources and legal support, including guidance on hiring and firing staff, approval of job postings, and training for both staff and board members on discrimination, harassment, and meeting procedures;
- Communications and technology support, including holding and livestreaming hybrid meetings, producing website and social media content, and creating flyers and mailers in multiple languages;
- IT and procurement support, including assistance with office computer issues, email and website creation and maintenance, purchasing, and paying bills;
- Equity and accessibility at meetings, including translation services, food, and childcare; and
- Supporting meaningful engagement from City agencies on the budget process.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. I look forward to working with the Council and the administration on ways to support our community boards in serving all New Yorkers.
