UES Can Shape City Budget And Set Spending Priorities In New Survey

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Community Board 8's constituents are being given a chance to determine budget priorities by speaking out in a survey this month.

Want cleaner streets, safer parks, or more affordable housing on the Upper East Side? This is how to make your voices heard.

The yearly survey asks constituents to list the three most pressing issues in the neighborhood, like sanitation, public safety or affordable housing, and give examples of how they would want to see them addressed.

What results is a document called the "Statement of Community District Needs," which the community board sends to local elected officials and city agencies.

Calling it a "statement" is an understatement, though — last year, Community Board 8's statement was more than 40 pages.

This annual project is going on across the city, and each community board has its own version, Valerie Mason, the chair of Community Board 8, said.

"So the city charter tells community boards that we need to play a role in the city's annual budget cycle, and so we actually kick off the year of the annual budget cycle," Mason said. "It's like we're building a house, and we're like the first people who come on the scene with the bricks, and then, they get put into different places and hopefully get acted upon."

It's especially important to take your neighborhood's survey, because the city does not allocate money equally to community boards' projects, Mason said, so the survey is a valuable tool to advocate for your neighborhood.

"This is a huge city, and as much as we would like to think that the city agencies are walking down every block, assessing every need, it really is incumbent upon our neighbors to speak up about things," Mason said.

The upcoming Community Needs Statements will be applied to the 2027 fiscal year, and are one of the first steps in building the city budget for 2027.

Community Board 8 will vote on a final Community Needs Statement on Oct. 15, so answers to the survey must be submitted before then, Mason said.

"We really do want to hear from everyone in our district about things that are happening, because that's how it gets elevated. That's how it gets addressed," Mason said.

If you live on the Upper East Side or Roosevelt Island, take the survey here. Find the most recent Needs Statement here.

For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.