CB6 Bylaws
In March 2023, CB6 amended its bylaws. The updated bylaws can be found here.
Drafting Meeting Minutes
Each Committee is responsible for drafting the minutes of each of its meetings. It is important that minutes be an accurate account of the business that occurred at a meeting. Members can use this template for drafting meeting minutes, which is designed in a way that minutes can be taken accurately but also concisely (note, this is a Word document).
Writing minutes is a CB6 board member function. This chart tracks minutes-writing duties and will enable committees to ensure that the task is shared equally among members:
Guide to Zoom
If you need to attend a meeting via Zoom, please find here a page with some best practices and troubleshooting help for using Zoom as a CB6 member.
Tools and Resources from the Department of City Planning
The Department of City Planning compiled a list of tools and resources to help committee members better understand zoning, ULURP, and Land Use more broadly.
Speaking of ULURP, at the February 2024 Land Use & Waterfront Committee meeting, the Department of City Planning did a presentation on the ULURP process. You can find a video of the presentation on our YouTube page (note that the presentation starts about 1 hour and 1 minute into the YouTube).
Drafting Resolutions
CB6 speaks only through its resolutions, so it is important that they be clearly written and uniformly formatted. This resolution style sheet offers some formatting tips. You can also find a resolution template here.
Laws Governing Community Board Membership
All members should familiarize themselves with the various laws that govern CB6 membership.
The City Charter: The Charter is essentially the Constitution of the City of New York. Chapter 70 of the Charter establishes Community Boards as government agencies of the City of New York and specifies the basic criteria for membership and good membership standing. To read the Charter, click here (clicking on the link will lead you to Chapter 70).
The Conflict of Interest Law: This law, located in Chapter 68 of the City Charter, is the comprehensive ethics code for all of New York City’s public servants. It covers such topics as gifts, volunteering, political activities, and misuse of position. All Community Board members, as they are City officials, are bound by the requirements of this law. You can read the law here.
Article 7 of the Public Officers Law: This law is more commonly known as the Open Meetings Law. This law states that the public has the right to attend meetings of public bodies (like community boards), listen to debate, and watch the decision-making process. You can read the law here.