At Community Board 14, serving Flatbush and Midwood, open the door and you’ll find staffers planning Thursday’s career forum for hundreds of neighborhood teens.

“This year we are doing a youth conference which will have an exhibition space, basically focusing on helping teens find jobs, or internship or volunteer opportunities,” said Community Board 14 Community Coordinator Jonathan Judge.

This is the type of work the city’s 59 Community Boards do. Made up of a salaried district manager, a few staffers and dozens of volunteers, they are liaisons between residents and elected officials. They also advise City Hall on land-use and zoning issues.

“The map right behind me is a map of the Flatbush zoning proposal. Over the last two years, we’ve had at least five or six meetings. The department of planning has heard community comments and it’s made that plan a much better plan,” said Community Board 14 Chairman Alvin Berk.

Advocates fear their work will be stifled and jobs will be lost if another round of budget cuts goes through.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to slash most city agencies by four percent to deal with a huge deficit. That’s $7,000 to each board, bringing their budgets to $169,000. It’s a minuscule part of the city’s overall spending and community boards say they should be spared.

“The first thing that usually goes when agencies get cut is their community relations component and that’s where we would step in. But if we don’t have the staff then the community will lose all around,” said Community Board 14 District Manager Doris Ortiz.

The mayor’s office says it has no choice and that every agency has to do more with less because of a massive deficit.

The last time the mayor proposed similar cuts, the City Council restored them. This time, the financial picture is even bleaker, so community boards may have to make some tough choices.

Source: NY1