On May 19, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and Special Assistant to the Borough President Yvonne Graham joined district managers and chairs of Brooklyn’s community boards to call on the Mayor and the Office of Management and Budget to reconsider the proposed cuts to the city’s 59 community boards.

Community boards could be facing budget cuts of $10,000 or more over the next two fiscal years. Each board has a budget of approximately $200,000, which pays for salaries, office supplies, equipment, printing, mailing and other operational expenses. Most community board staffers are volunteers. BP Markowitz and the leaders of Brooklyn’s 18 community boards fear the budget cuts will jeopardize the boards’ ability to carry out city charter-mandated duties to create comprehensive plans for communities.

“Community boards are truly the heart and soul of municipal government in Brooklyn and New York City—they are the entry point for New Yorkers who love their neighborhoods and wish to be involved in the planning and development process,” says BP Markowitz. “This is outrageous. These boards need more money—not less.”