§ 1-15 Special Rules for Community Board Members.
RCNY § 1-15
(a)Voting and Private Interests. For purposes of Sections 2604(b)(1)(b) and 2604(b)(2) of the Charter, a community board member shall not vote at a community board meeting on any matter that may result in a personal and direct economic gain to the member or to any person or firm associated with the member, within the meaning of Section 2601(5) of the Charter, but the member may participate in discussion about such matter at a community board meeting after the member discloses at such meeting his or her private interest.
(1)For purposes of this paragraph, a "personal and direct" economic gain means a specific economic gain that would flow to the member or an associated person or firm as an anticipated result of the matter's ultimate approval or rejection.
(2)For purposes of this paragraph, "economic gain" includes the mitigation of a loss.
(3)For purposes of Section 2601(5) of the Charter, the definition of "a business or other financial relationship" includes, but is not limited to, a relationship with: (i) any person who, in the context of the member's private employment, may hire or terminate the member, assign work to the member, approve the member's leave, or evaluate the member's work performance; or (ii) any person who or firm that donates to the member's not-for-profit employer in an amount of 10% or more of the not-for-profit's annual operating budget.
(b)Other Government and Quasi-Government Service. For purposes of Section 2604(b)(2) of the Charter, a community board member who serves any entity listed in 53 RCNY § 1-08 as an official, officer, or employee: (1) may not appear, whether paid or unpaid, on behalf of such entity before the member's community board; (2) may not vote at a community board meeting on any matter involving such entity; and (3) may participate in discussion at a community board meeting on matters involving such entity only after the member discloses at the meeting his or her position with such entity.
(c)Service as Chair of a Community Board or Its Committees or Subcommittees.
(iii)For purposes of this subparagraph, a committee or subcommittee of a community board "regularly reviews" matters involving the member's private employer, financial interest, or other private interest if the committee or subcommittee considers or expects to consider a matter involving the member's employer or interest three or more times within a twelve-month period.
(d)Public Members of Community Board Committees. A public member of a community board committee, appointed pursuant to Section 2800(i) of the Charter, is not a public servant within the meaning of Section 2601(19) of the Charter.
(e)Community Board Staff. For purposes of Sections 2604(b)(2), 2604(b)(3), 2604(b)(9)(b), 2604(b)(11)(c), and 2604(b)(14) of the Charter, and 53 RCNY § 1-10, a public servant employed by the community board is a subordinate public servant of each community board member.
(f)Agency Head Designations. A community board member serves as the agency head for any agency head designation or approval for himself or herself required by Section 2604(e) of the Charter or the Board Rules. The chair of a community board is the agency head for the public servants employed by the community board. (Added City Record 10/24/2019, eff. 11/23/2019) Editor's note: Former section renumbered as 53 RCNY § 4-04.
