What is a Community Board?
New York City is divided into 59 geographic Community Districts, each one having an appointed Community Board. The Community Boards are municipal bodies of up to 50 representative Board Members. Board Members are appointed by their respective Borough President, half of them at the recommendation of their local City Council Member. They serve in a voluntary capacity for two year staggered terms. Board Members are your neighbors - people who live, work, own a business, or have some other significant interest in the Community District. The Community Board hires a District Manager who is responsible for running the District Office.
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Map of the 59 Community Districts
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What does the Community Board do?
The Community Board is the official municipal body whose primary mission is to advise elected officials and government agencies on matters affecting the social welfare of the district. Brooklyn Community Board 6 (CB6) meets on the second Wednesday of each month, except during July and August. All meetings are open to the public. In an attempt to maximize accessibility, the general meetings are held at different locations within the district. We are your local non-partisan interface to the many offices and agencies of City government. Contact us if you would like to receive email notices of meetings.
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Brooklyn CB6 calendar of public meetings
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How does the Community Board function?
The Community Board's general meetings are run according to Roberts Rules of Order. While the public is encouraged to attend and observe Community Board proceedings, only Board Members can discuss and vote on motions before it. The Community Boards were created by City Charter, and their roles and responsibilities are defined in Chapters 69 and 70. They also must operate within all applicable City, State and Federal laws that govern public bodies. CB6 also has its own set of by-laws.
We encourage the public to attend the Community Board's various Public Hearings, committee meetings, informational meetings and special events to participate actively in the items before the Community Board at the most grassroots level. All meetings of the Community Board are open to the public, and are posted on our online Calendar.
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Download the CB6 by-laws
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Who does Brooklyn CB6 represent?
Brooklyn CB6 represents the neighborhoods of Carroll Gardens/South Brooklyn, Cobble Hill, Columbia Street District, Gowanus, Park Slope and Red Hook. From the Buttermilk Channel to Prospect Park, 104,054 people (2000 Census figure) choose to call CB6 their home.
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Brooklyn Community District 6 maps
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What issues does CB6 get involved in?
Community Boards in general have three distinct areas of focus - land use, budget, and service delivery. CB6, in its advisory capacity, sponsors public meetings where topical issues involving the projects, programs and policies that affect the district will be presented, discussed and, at times, debated in an open forum.
Land Use. The Community Board routinely reviews applications that involve the acquisition, disposition and/or significant change of use of City-owned properties. It hosts Public Hearings and sponsors open meetings to discuss and formulate recommendations on land use matters coming before it. The Community Board is the first stage at which land use matters are formally reviewed in accordance with the City's Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP).
In addition to matters pertaining to City property, the Community Board also reviews items related to private properties where property owners are seeking approval to use, develop or otherwise modify a property in a way that would not automatically be allowable under the property's zoning designation. Other forms of land use reviews may involve properties in Landmark Districts or voluntary informational presentations by property owners.
Budget. The Community Boards are required to submit to the Mayor and City Council their Capital (projects) and Expense (programs and services) budget priorities for consideration in the formulation of the City's budget. CB6 is constantly receiving input from the public on projects, programs and services that are needed within the district. While the Community Board submits budget priorities on behalf of the district for consideration, the final decision over which projects, programs and services get funded in the City's budget is made by the Mayor and the City Council, with input from the Borough Presidents.
Service Delivery. The day-to-day processing of citizen complaints and requests for municipal services are handled by the District Office under the supervision of the District Manager. The District Office is prepared to take complaints and requests for service from any constituent of the district. It is important to contact the District Office with complaints and requests for services so that the Community Board can monitor and work toward improving service delivery in the district. Calls such as these also provide the Community Board with important indicators of the levels of resources that might be most needed in the district, reflected by the types of calls received.
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How do I speak at a Community Board meeting?
A section of every general Community Board meeting is set aside for the board to hear from the public. At the front of the meeting room there will be a sign-in sheet labeled "Community Session" where anyone is invited to sign in to speak for up to three minutes. The Chairperson will acknowledge speakers in the order they sign in. No pre-registration is necessary.
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Download Community Session instructions
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What does the District Office do?
he CB6 District Office has two primary functions - to process citizen complaints and requests for services, and to provide administrative support for the Community Board. The District Office maintains all the public records of the activities of the Community Board and is responsible for setting up and preparing notices of all Community Board meetings and functions. Additionally, the District Office processes Street Activity Permits for Block Party street closures, requests for Tree Plantings, monitors the delivery of municipal services and, in general, acts as a one stop shopping point for information and referrals pertaining to all City government matters. The District Office is a professional, non-partisan office and there are no fees for any services provided.
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Click here for Photos
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What kinds of complaints does CB6 handle?
Just about any complaint that involves a municipal service can be called in to the District Office. This includes such items as, but is not limited to:
> Reporting a pothole
> A tree that needs pruning
> Missing or damaged signs
> Malfunctioning street light
> Clogged catch basin
> Missed garbage collection
These are some examples of the more common complaints that are called in to the District Office. By acting as the community's eyes and ears and reporting items such as this to the Community Board you can take away the satisfaction of having made a positive contribution to improving the quality of life in your neighborhood. A common mistake people make is that they assume that someone else will report a problem; many problems go unreported because of this. You have the power to make a positive change in your community with just one phone call!
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How do I report a complaint?
Email us at complaints@BrooklynCB6.org. Call the District Office at (718) 643-3027. Fax us at (718) 624-8410. Write to us or visit our District Office at 250 Baltic Street in Cobble Hill during regular business hours. We want to hear from you!
Please note all pertinent information (e.g., exact location or street address, cross streets, etc.) related to the type of complaint you wish to report. Not having sufficient information may only serve to delay our efforts to help resolve the problem. We suggest that you have as much information as possible available at the time that you call. Remember, in order for us to help resolve your complaint, you must help us by accurately identifying the problem. The District Office will followup with you in writing.
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How do I get a street renamed (co-named)?
The City of New York's official policy for street co-namings begins with a request being made directly to the Community Board. Brooklyn CB6 requires that a petition with at least 20 names with corresponding addresses of block residents be submitted, together with a written explanation providing the reasoning and justification for the co-naming. If the street is to be co-named after an individual, it may only be done posthumously, and the reasoning and justification should include a biographical sketch of the individual that specifically links them to the block.
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Download a copy of the City's official street co-naming policy
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How can I get more involved in CB6?
Easy! There are several things you can do to get more involved in CB6 -
1) REPORT a service complaint or request for service to the District Office.
2) ATTEND a meeting of the Community Board. Call or email the District Office and ask to be put on our mailing list to get a monthly calendar of the meetings of CB6 (general and committee meetings) with their respective locations and a digest of their agendas.
3) SPONSOR or attend a Block, Civic or Merchant Association meeting. CB6 has over 200 active organizations in the district that focus on issues, problems and concerns at a more grassroots level. If you want to know whether your block has an association, or would like information regarding any other community-based organization, call the District Office.
4) JOIN a CB6 committee. Each year CB6 takes in applications from non-Board Members who are interested in serving on CB6's standing committees. It is generally advisable that you attend a meeting prior to requesting membership in order to give you firsthand exposure to how the committees function and the types of issues they routinely discuss. If you're ready to take that next step, see question below.
5) APPLY to the Community Board. Many non-Board Members who join committees eventually are interested in applying for Board membership. You may do so by either contacting the Brooklyn Borough President's Office at (718) 802-3700, or by contacting your local Council Member. Use the link below to get more information and an application directly from the Borough President's Office.
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Click here to find our more about becoming a Board member
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How do I join a CB6 Committee?
Although CB6 committee membership must be composed primarily of a majority of Board Members, membership is also open to Non-Board Members as well. This allows for broader, grassroots public representation on the Community Board’s standing committees, and encourages and facilitates citizen participation in local government within our communities. The Brooklyn CB6 district includes the neighborhoods of Carroll Gardens/South Brooklyn, Cobble Hill, Columbia Street District, Gowanus, Park Slope, and Red Hook.
Individuals who wish to serve on a committee can download the form by clicking below and returning it to the CB6 District Office at 250 Baltic Street (between Court/Clinton Streets), Monday through Friday between the hours of 10AM and 4PM, or fax it to (718) 624-8410. Appointments to committees for a one-year term are effective February 1.* Non-Board Members who are appointed to a committee enjoy the same participatory rights and are expected to fulfill the same member-related responsibilities as Board Members serving on committees.
BROOKLYN CB6 COMMITTEES OPEN TO PUBLIC PARTICIPANTS:
• Economic/Waterfront/Community Development and Housing
• Landmarks/Land Use
• Parks/Recreation/Cultural Affairs
• Public Safety/Environmental Protection/Licenses/Permits
• Transportation
• Youth/Human Services/Education
Committee Membership Request forms must be received at the District Office no later than the second Wednesday of January for consideration in initial annual reconstitution of committees. Additional requests for membership may be made at any time throughout the year, but appointments will be made based on the availability of openings.
*Pending approval of proposed by-laws revisions, CB6 will be shifting its appointment schedule from February 1 to September 1. Therefore, January appointments will be for committee membership from February 1-August 31. There will be a second, mandatory application process during Summer 2009 for one-year appointment terms beginning September 1, 2009.
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Download the CB6 Committee Membership Request form
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How can I support the work of the Community Board?
Friends of Brooklyn Community Board 6, Inc. was established in 2003 to support the work of Brooklyn's Community Board 6 and improve the quality of life in the district. Friends provides planning, advocacy, research and administrative resources to supplement the limited capacities and budget of the Community Board, thus enabling the Board properly to carry out its City Charter-mandated task of evaluating the needs of and advocating on behalf of its communities. Through this balance of public and private resources, Friends of Community Board 6 aims to drive the balanced growth of all the communities it serves.
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Click here to visit Friends of Brooklyn CB6, Inc.
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Want to be listed in our website resource directory?
The Website Directory Submission Form should be used if someone would like to submit an organization for listing in the Brooklyn Community Board 6 on-line resource directory. To be eligible for inclusion the organization should ideally be based in, or share in whole or in substantial part its primary service area with, the Brooklyn Community Board 6 district. Listings that appear on the website must either be of government agencies, non-profit organizations, community-based organizations or other organizations that are not primarily organized to be commercial or partisan in nature.
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Download the CB6 Website Directory Submission Form
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