Community Boards are considered valuable by some and scorned by others, but they perform some vital functions at the most basic community level. The boards, however, are facing 5-8 percent cuts, “which may not sound like much, but cut into already limited resources…After all, the CBs serve the equivalent of decent-sized cities, as the districts contain 35,000 to 200,000 people, but have a paid staff of three. (The board members are volunteer appointees, as are committee members.) Perhaps the main role the CBs play is in advising and/or voting on major land use issues…However, unlike independent cities of equivalent size, the CBs don’t have professional staff in planning and other departments.”–AYR