Organizers of an annual crime prevention rally in the Rockaways say this year's event is in jeopardy because the city is charging them fees they can't afford. NY1’s Matt McClure filed this report.

The sign advertising the National Night Out Against Crime may soon have to come down at the campus of the former Beach Channel High School. That's because organizers of the annual event for the 100th Precinct say the city Department of Education keeps hitting them with red tape.

"It started with just a dollar amount, but since that time it's come up with regulations and rules and insurance requirements, and so many things that quite frankly, a volunteer community organization can't provide on such short notice,” said Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder.

National Night Out is August 4th. The goal is to give residents the chance to mingle with police officers and build camaraderie in hopes of making neighborhoods safer. Organizers booked the school because the park they usually use is undergoing Sandy-related repairs.

Precinct Community Council President Danny Ruscillo says he met with school officials - who issued him a permit for the event. Then, he says, the roadblocks started appearing.

"They wanted insurance.  A million dollars wasn't enough,” Ruscillo said. “I had to go back to the person we got the equipment from.  He had to get another policy: $5 million.  We came back with the five million.  They said no that's no good, we need five million plus one million."

Now he says the DOE has also asked for food vendor permits and inspection certificates.

"If you would have told us that from the beginning, I would have said this is a little bit too much for us and ventured out to a new location,” he said.

In response, a spokesperson says, “The DOE has worked with partners in the community and we have agreed to waive the usual fee that is charged for such an event."

While that's true, Ruscillo says he was not made aware of the insurance and other costs until after he received the permit.

Organizers say if the Department of Education does not change its mind, they have less than two weeks to find a new venue for what they call a very large event.

“And it's not easy when you're dealing with a lot of people.  We got hundreds and hundreds of people that attend this,” Ruscillo said.

He says he hopes to hear back from DOE officials within the next couple of days.