Rally to Oppose Community Board Budget Cuts
Yesterday morning several hundred community board members from around the city gathered on the steps of City Hall to protest proposed budget cuts that would shave an average of $20,000 from each of the city’s 59 community boards (18 in Brooklyn); the protesters were joined by four borough presidents as well as mayoral hopeful William…
Yesterday morning several hundred community board members from around the city gathered on the steps of City Hall to protest proposed budget cuts that would shave an average of $20,000 from each of the city’s 59 community boards (18 in Brooklyn); the protesters were joined by four borough presidents as well as mayoral hopeful William Thompson. Councilwoman Letitia James said that Council budget negotiators have “laid a line in the sand that you will not touch the budgets of the community [boards].” Lots of photos from the event in this Flickr set.
Borough Leaders Rip Citywide CB Budget Cuts [NY Daily News]
Jugs, $35,000 X 59 = $2,065,000 out of a–what?–$60 billion budget. I think the loss at the neighborhood level far out-weighs the paltry savings.
I support these cuts. CBs accomplish nothing of significance. The money could better be spent shoring up hospitals, schools, or ACS.
while 311 is good for somethings it has become more and more bureaucratic.They now have the longest info tape I have heard in a long time. Remember its a mayoral agency.
As for people staying on the Board a long time. many have institutional memory that makes a big difference when things come up over and over again. With term limits that memory no longer resides in the City Council members offices(where it rare that aides in one office remain in to another office holder). The agencies staffs stay forever and don’t pass along these memories easily.
Most Community boards do have people who have obtained expertise in these areas some of them by being frogs….like in Congress sometimes they turn in to princes or princess or somethings they are just frogs….
“That said, aysataba is basically correct that community boards need to be more pro-active and need to reprogram some of the staff resources spent on constituent complaints.”
Or recruitment of Board members with some of those expertise discussed…which many Boards have…my specific example would be Brooklyn CB7.
A couple points of clarification:
1. Rent is not included in the budget, because it obviously varies considerably from place to place.
2. 311 is good at some things and not others, in particular inter-agency issues. Community boards (and council members) are better at understanding the local landscape.
3. That said, aysataba is basically correct that community boards need to be more pro-active and need to reprogram some of the staff resources spent on constituent complaints.
Just three quick points.
1)The $200,000 budget covers, rent for the board offices, salaries, stationery, phones, fax machinnes, scanners, postage, website expenses, etc.
2) The primary advantage of the community board is that for the most part, its members are residents. As such, we know our needs better than say city hall. For example, is the Bedford Avenue Armory a good site for an intake center for the homeless?
3) The board and just as importantly its district managers have the knowledge and the relationships to make things happen. 311 is a statistical tool. The district managers know who to call to get something done. And I might add that the 311 calls are referred through the CB offices.
From these comments it seems like some CBs are worthwhile. Mine is packed with business owners and a bunch whose only mantra is “low-income affordable housing”. Nothing to represent the chunk of residents in between. And early evening meeting times that I can rarely make to boot.
CB 7 in Sunset Park, Greenwood Heights, South Slope has always offered up great service when 311 calls have fallen on deaf ears. When the scheisse hits the fan, I know they can always find out what’s up.
Well said, aysataba and Action Jackson.