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Op Ed
State Budget
Ten Key Takeaways from Governor Cuomo's Executive Budget
January 28, 2015
Last week, Citizens Budget Commission listed the Top Ten Things to Look for in the NYS 2016 Budget. Here is how they fared in the Executive Budget Proposal outlined by Governor Cuomo on January 21.
Op Ed
Transportation
How to Fill the MTA's Budget Gap
November 18, 2014
Nearly six of every 10 of the 3.7 million people entering New York’s central business district each weekday rely on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s commuter rails, subways and buses.
Op Ed
Capital Spending
What New York Should Do With $4B
July 23, 2014
New York State will soon receive more than $4 billion in settlements from large financial institutions. It is an unprecedented windfall and it is generating discussion about what to do with the money.
Testimony
Transportation
Testimony Before the MTA Reinvention Commission
July 16, 2014
The CBC Board believes strongly that a well-financed and well-functioning mass transit system is a vital element in the regional economy, and a failure to support and enhance that system can be economically fatal.
Op Ed
City Budget
Issues Remain In Mayor de Blasio's New Budget
May 08, 2014
For months, the biggest fiscal uncertainty for the city has been how Mayor de Blasio would handle negotiations with the municipal unions that have been working without contracts.
Op Ed
Transportation
PATH Should Be Run By New Jersey Transit
May 04, 2014
PATH is the only mass transit system in the nation with no tax subsidy. That should be changed, and responsibility for running PATH should be shifted to New Jersey Transit.
Letter
Transportation
CBC Calls for Improved Budget Process, More Transparency at the Port Authority
July 16, 2013
The CBC urged the Port Authority to improve its budget process and make it more transparent. The letter offered six recommendations to resolve these problems, such as long-term planning, regular reporting, and detailed budgeting.
Op Ed
Public Workforce
The Next Mayor's Biggest Challenge
May 19, 2013
As the New York City mayor's race builds momentum, candidates are discussing a wide range of issues - but not how they would tackle the biggest challenge the next mayor will certainly face: negotiating municipal labor contracts.
Op Ed
Public Workforce
Finding a Better Way on Labor Bargaining
May 18, 2013
Taxpayers are at a disadvantage in collective bargaining with police and firefighter unions in New York state because of the way binding arbitration is done. The culprits are provisions of a statute, known as the Taylor Law, that expire July 1.
Op Ed
Pensions & Benefits
Reining in New York City's Skyrocketing Health Insurance Costs
April 17, 2013
The City's employee unions, whose contracts have expired, may prefer to wait and negotiate with the next mayor, but the election won't change the fiscal reality: the City's share of health insurance premiums for city workers and retirees is high in comparison to norms in the private and public sectors.
Op Ed
Public Workforce
City Workers, Pay Your Share
February 03, 2013
The cost of health insurance for New York City public employees and retirees is projected to grow by almost 40% by 2016 — rising to nearly $7 billion a year. That growth will amount to $1.5 billion of the $1.9 billion budget deficit projected for 2016.
Testimony
Transportation
Testimony on MTA Fare Policies
To the MTA Board
November 13, 2012
CBC proposes a “25-50-25” formula for funding the MTA’s transit services. That is, 20-25 percent of transit expenses should be paid for by auto-user cross subsidies, 45-50 percent paid by riders, and 25-30 percent paid through state and local tax subsidies.
Op Ed
Transportation
A Better Way to Pay for the MTA
October 16, 2012
CBC President Carol Kellermann pens an opinion piece for the Huffington Post on the importance of creating a new approach to financing the MTA. The op-ed is premised on our latest MTA report, "A Better Way to Pay for the MTA."
Op Ed
Transportation
MTA Finances: A Looming Train Wreck
September 23, 2012
CBC President Carol Kellermann pens an op-ed about the serious financial troubles facing the MTA and the need for a long-term solution.
Testimony
City Budget
Testimony on the NYC Executive Budget for FY2013
To NY City Council Committee on Finance
June 06, 2012
First, the Council should focus on structural changes to municipal finances that will make budgeting easier in future years. Second, the Council should phase out the unusual practice of reimbursing retired municipal workers for their Medicare Part B premiums.
Op Ed
Pensions & Benefits
Sneak Labor Giveaway
May 05, 2012
Across New York, the cost of health benefits for retired government employees is growing so rapidly that it threatens to crowd out funding for essential government services. Rather than lay off police or close libraries, public officials may want to use their discretion to alter retiree health insurance — but some state legislators are trying to take away that discretion.
Statement
Public Workforce
Statement on Tier VI Reforms
March 14, 2012
The bill that passed both houses of the State Legislature early this morning included important, beneficial changes in most components of the pension formulas that will determine benefits for future employees.
Op Ed
Pensions & Benefits
New York State’s Pension Plan
March 12, 2012
Deferrals of pension fund contributions by New York State and localities relies on unconvincing arguments by the State Comptroller that the plan is justified by the need for short-term relief from rising pension costs and that it is transparent.
Op Ed
Pensions & Benefits
Cuomo’s Reforms Are Perfectly Fair
February 21, 2012
Gov. Cuomo’s proposed “Tier VI” pension formula for future state and local government employees is more than fair by national standards. With New Yorkers now paying more than twice the US average per person for public-employee pensions, it’s time to rein in these costs.
Op Ed
Pensions & Benefits
Finally Retire New York's Overpriced Pensions
January 22, 2012
President Carol Kellermann pens an op-ed urging the legislature to pass Governor Cuomo's proposal to modernize the State's pension system by offering new employees a 401(k)-style option.