Community Boards Face Budget Cuts
BY RICHARD GENTILVISO

Schools have auctions and flea markets. Libraries sell donated books. This kind of fundraising can help with budget shortfalls.

Eight years ago, Community Board 1 voted to have an annual street fair to help raise expense money for their office. At the time in January 2000, Board 1 Chairperson Vinicio Donato explained the need, saying, "The city hasn't increased our budget."

This year, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has asked all city agencies to cut a hefty 8 percent from their 2009 budgets that begin on July 1. The cuts have caused an average loss of $100,000 per school and the potential elimination of six-day library service.

As city agencies, the 59 community boards must comply and district managers are concerned. They are facing between $10,000 and $16,000 in cuts but still must service populations ranging from 35,000 to 200,000 people.

"We're not going to be able to fulfill our charter mandate," said Marilyn Bitterman, district manager for Community Board 7, one of the largest in the city.

Jonathan Gaska, district manager for Community Board 14 in Far Rockaway, said jobs are at stake.

"I suspect more cuts are coming across the board," Community Board 1 District Manager George Delis said.

The entire budget for community boards amounts to under $1 million out of a proposed city budget of $58.5 billion. "Minimal," said Bitterman. Because they are so small compared to other city agencies, community boards are disproportionately affected by budget cuts.

Community boards have a budget of about $200,000 a year, with the majority going to salaries. Boards are advisory and their 50 members each are volunteers. But district managers and office staff are paid by the city. The city also pays rent and utility expenses for each community board's district office, but other expenses, including phones, office supplies, equipment and technical services, come from each board's budget.

Community boards have not received an increase in budget in 15 years, only salary increases due employees through collective bargaining agreements. In addition, cuts remain from the 1990s under Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Speaking to City Councilmember John Liu at the April community board meeting in Flushing, Bitterman said Board 7 never regained a $16,000 cut from the Giuliani era and that, combined with the current $10,000 loss, totaled $26,000 from the budget, about a 25 percent loss.

Gaska, speaking at the April meeting of the Queens Borough Cabinet, said 45 community board jobs could be lost.

"It's not possible for us or the majority of community boards to absorb these cuts without them affecting our personnel," Community Board 6 (Brooklyn) District Manager Craig Hammerman said in the Brownstoner blog.

In May, the City Council holds public hearings on the budget and must negotiate changes to it and vote on it by June 5. Community boards will find a long line of municipal agencies, including police, fire, schools, senior centers and libraries ahead of them.