Int. No. 913
By Council Members Comrie, Arroyo, James, Koo, Lander, Rose, Williams, Dickens, Rodriguez, Chin, Van Bramer, Mark-Viverito, Ferreras, Barron and Halloran
A Local Law to amend the New York city charter, in relation to community boards.
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision a of section 2800 of the New York city charter is amended to read as follows:
a. For each community district created pursuant to chapter sixty-nine there shall be a community board which shall consist of (1) not more than fifty persons appointed by the borough president for staggered terms of two years, at least one-half of whom shall be appointed from nominees of the council members elected from council districts which include any part of the community district, and (2) all such council members as non-voting members. The number of members appointed on the nomination of each such council member shall be proportional to the share of the district population represented by such council member. The city planning commission, after each council redistricting pursuant to chapter two-A, and after each community redistricting pursuant to section twenty-seven hundred two, shall determine the proportion of the community district's population represented by each council member. Copies of such determinations shall be filed with the appropriate borough president, community board, and council member. One-half of the members appointed to any community board shall serve for a term of two years beginning on the first day of April in each odd-numbered year in which they take office and one half of the members appointed to any community board shall serve for a term of two years beginning on the first day of April in each even-numbered year in which they take office. Members shall serve until their successors are appointed but no member may serve for more than sixty days after the expiration of his or her original term unless reappointed by the borough president. Not more than twenty-five percent of the appointed members shall be city employees. No person shall be appointed to or remain as a member of the board who does not have a residence, business, professional or other significant interest in the district. The borough president shall assure adequate representation from the different geographic sections and neighborhoods within the community district. In making such appointments, the borough president shall consider whether the aggregate of appointments fairly represents all segments of the community. Community boards, civic groups and other community groups and neighborhood associations may submit nominations to the borough president and to council members. No later than October 1, 2012, and on October 1 every other year thereafter, each borough president shall submit to the council a report on community board member appointments in his or her borough, which shall include the following information: (i) the number of open community board member positions, sorted by community district; (ii) a description of outreach efforts to publicize community board member openings; (iii) the number of applicants for open community board member positions, sorted by community district; (iv) the number of persons interviewed for open community board member positions, sorted by community district; and (v) the number of persons appointed to open community board member positions, sorted by community district.
§ 2. Section 2800 of the New York city charter is amended by adding a new subdivision j to read as follows:
j. For each borough, there shall be established a pool of professionals available to each community board in such borough to provide urban planning and other technical assistance. Each pool shall be made up of no less than three professional planners appointed by the borough president for such borough; provided, however, that such professional planners may include students enrolled in a master's degree program for urban planning of an accredited local academic institution. Each borough president shall determine the organization, responsibilities, and duties of such pool.
§ 3. This local law shall take effect ninety days following its enactment.
SAG
LS# 3035
5.10.2012