About Community Boards - Relationships with other City Government Entities

Community Boards interact with a variety of city, state, and federal government agencies. But the preponderance of its government relationships are with city agencies, elected representatives, and appointed bodies. The following describes many of these relationships.

The Mayor

The Mayor is the City's chief executive officer. He appoints Deputy Mayors and heads of agencies to carry out City policies and see that the City is properly run. The Mayor often takes the lead in proposing services the City will provide and how they will be financed. The Mayor operates an extensive website at www.nyc.gov providing access to most city departments.

The Mayor has several responsibilities to Community Boards.

Ensure the cooperation of City agencies with Community Boards in all matters affecting local services and the handling of citizen complaints.
Propose the level of financial support for the Community Boards.
Consider Board priorities when developing the Expense and Capital Budgets.
Assure that city agencies provide ranking line officers with the authority to facilitate solutions to local problems, to serve on the Boards' District Service Cabinet.
Provide general assistance and mechanisms for answering Community Board questions and helping to resolve problems.

The Mayor issues three reports that Community Boards use to evaluate city service delivery and plan for their district's needs:

The Strategic Policy Statement - This summarizes the most pressing long-term issues facing the city and the strategies proposed to address them. The Strategic Policy Statement is issued every four years.
The Annual Report on Social Indicators - This analysis of the social, economic, and environmental health of the city is issued sixty days before the Community Boards submit their budget priorities for the next fiscal year.
The Citywide Statement of Needs - This Statement identifies plans for new or expanded city facilities and the community districts in which they are proposed to be located. It also identifies planned closings or reductions in city operated facilities in the district over the next two fiscal years.

The Mayor's Community Assistance Unit

The Mayor’s Community Assistance Unit (CAU) provides training, technical assistance, and liaison with overhead City agencies such as General Services, Personnel, and the Office of Management and Budget.

The Borough President

The Borough President is elected to a four year term by the boroughs voters. When preparing the Executive Budget, the Mayor must consult the Borough President. After adoption of the City's Expense Budget, the Borough President may reallocate certain agencies' personnel and resources in the borough.

The Borough President prepares a Strategic Policy Statement for the borough, is an important participant in the "Fair Share" process for locating City facilities, and monitors service delivery and complaint handling by City agencies. Additionally, the Borough President can have legislation introduced in the Council, propose changes in the zoning resolution, review contracts and franchises, and appoint a member to the City Planning Commission.

The Borough President interacts with the Community Boards in the following ways:

Appoints the voting members of Community Boards for two year terms.
Provides meeting places for the Community Boards on request.
Serves as Chair of the Borough Board and Borough Service Cabinet.
Along with the Community Boards, reviews and makes recommendations on ULURP applications.
Trains Community Board members on planning and budget preparation.
Provides technical assistance through its planning and budget offices.

The Borough Board

A Borough Board shares with the Community Boards the opportunity to advise on zoning, variances, the City Map, franchises, City property transfers, and land use matters which directly affect more than one community district.

The Borough Board's members are the Borough President, as chairperson, all the Council Members for the borough, and the chairpersons of the borough’s Community Boards (who may vote only on matters directly affecting their community districts). Its responsibilities include:

Initiates and reviews comprehensive or special purpose plans for the borough.
Prepares a comprehensive statement of the expense and capital budget priorities and needs of the borough.
Evaluates the progress of capital developments and the quality and quantity of services in the borough.
Cooperates with Community Boards and mediates any disputes and conflicts among them.

The Borough Service Cabinet

A Borough Service Cabinet helps the Borough in its relationships with city agencies.

Its members are the Borough President as chair, and the borough officials appointed by the head of each City agency which delivers services in the borough. District Managers are generally invited to attend its meetings. The Borough Service Cabinet serves the following roles:

Coordinates service delivery functions and programs of agencies servicing the borough.
Considers interagency problems and impediments to the effective and economic delivery of services in the borough.
Plans and develops programs to address the needs and priorities of the borough and its residents.
Consults with borough residents and representatives of the Community Boards about service problems and activities.
Keeps a public record of its activities, including meeting minutes.

The City Council

The City Council is New York City's legislative body. It enacts legislation, including tax and revenue measures, and approves the City's budget.

There are 51 elected Council Members. Council Districts follow political boundaries and are not coterminous with community districts. Typically, two or three council districts will cross a community district.

Council Members are involved with their Community Boards in several ways:

Council Members are non-voting members of the Community Boards whose districts they serve, and, as such, are appropriate sponsors and supporters of legislation desired by the Boards.
Council Members are Ex-Officio members of their Boards' District Service Cabinets.
Council Members serve on the Borough Board.
Council Members submit nominations for Community Board membership to the Borough President, half of whose appointments must be made from such nominations. All such appointments are in proportion to the percentage of the district's population that each Council Member represents.
The Council receives the advice of Community Boards on the Expense and Capital Budgets and helps determine the budgetary support of the Boards.

The Public Advocate

The Public Advocate oversees the citywide information and complaint network in which each Community Board and its District Manager play a key part.

The Comptroller

The Comptroller is the chief auditing and accounting officer for Community Boards, as for all City agencies.

The City Planning Commission & Department of City Planning

The City Planning Commission and Department of City Planning serve as the city’s official planning agency. The Commission makes policy decisions with the assistance of the Department’s administrative and professional staff.

The City Planning Commission has thirteen commissioners, seven appointed by the Mayor, one by the Public Advocate, and one by each Borough President. The Commission's Chair is appointed by, and serves at, the Mayor's pleasure. The Chair is also the Director of the Department of City Planning. The Commission and Department work closely with Community Boards in the following ways:

The Department provides professional assistance to Community Boards in planning for their communities.
The Department receives all applications subject to the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure and related documents and refers them to the affected Community Boards, Borough Boards, Borough Presidents, and the City Council for public hearing and advice.
The Department assists the Mayor in preparing required reports and plans, including an annual report on the social, economic, and environmental health of the City and a four year Strategic Policy Statement. Both of these documents must be submitted to the Community Boards, the Borough President, and the Council.
The Commission receives and reviews the advice of Community Boards, Borough Presidents, and in some cases, Borough Boards on zoning, the City Map, site selection, franchise Requests for Proposals, City property acquisitions and dispositions, and other land use matters. It conducts a public hearing, votes its recommendations, and forwards approvals to the City Council.
The Commission receives and reviews the advice of Community Boards on area plans, whether initiated by a Community Board, a Borough Board, a Borough President, the Mayor or the City Planning Commission or Department, and forwards approved plans to the Council for final action. The Commission also sets standards for such plans.
The Commission may propose additions to the categories subject to the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, but only the Council, by enactment of local law, can make such additions effective.
The Commission receives Community Board advice on variances and special permits as submitted to the Board of Standards and Appeals, and may react to that advice in public hearings before the Board of Standards and Appeals.
The Commission establishes rules governing the land use and environmental review procedures, as well as "fair share" criteria for the location of City facilities.
The Commission assists Community Boards with the development of 197-a Plans.