CB2 told new agency-by-agency District Needs Statement process for FY27 budget priorities

Manhattan Community Board 2's executive committee reviewed preparations for the city's fiscal 2027 budget process and the board's District Needs Statement (DNS), and was told this year's DNS will allow agency-by-agency prioritization rather than a single ranked list across all categories.

Chair Valerie Dela Rosa told the committee that she had circulated results from the first of three days of consultations with the city's Office of Management and Budget and that "some of the agencies respond in advance. Some just show up that day and give you the answers." She said responses and background materials are stored in the board's shared Google Drive.

Dela Rosa and staff reminded committee chairs that committees should prepare narrative statements that align with the DNS categories and noted the DNS form's categories do not map exactly to the board's committee structure. She said the new agency-by-agency approach "gives us even more flexibility to prioritize things as we go along." Committee members were told there are two more budget-consultation sessions on September 25 and October 3.

The executive committee was also told the board must still adopt a set of top-three district needs that will be voted on by the full board. Dela Rosa said the board commonly schedules a public hearing on the budget; the charter requires one. The board plans to allow public comment on its proposals during a future meeting; specific dates and final language must be set by the committees and the full board.

No budget amounts were presented at the executive meeting. Committee chairs were asked to prepare edits to narrative statements in the shared drive and to coordinate agency-specific priorities in their committee meetings.