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Op Ed
State Budget
Priorities for Governor Cuomo's Next Budget
December 17, 2012
Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature have successfully tackled serious budget issues in recent years, but important challenges remain. These must be addressed in his next budget in order to improve the state's fiscal condition and give local governments better tools to manage their structural deficits.
Op Ed
Education
Stretching New York's Public Education Dollar
October 14, 2012
CBC President Carol Kellermann pens an opinion piece on the Huffington Post on how New York State's education dollars are spread inequitably among school districts and spent disproportionately on employee benefits, not on improving the quality of education.
Letter
Education
CBC Urges Veto of Costly Special Education Mandate
July 27, 2012
This letter urges Governor Cuomo to veto a bill that would allow for consideration of a child’s “home environment and family background” in determining special education placements. This provision has the potential to create significant costs for school districts.
Testimony
Education
Testimony to the Education Reform Commission
July 26, 2012
Simply put, the aggregate amount of money is not the problem. Rather, current funding needs to be re-targeted to reflect new priorities.
Op Ed
State Budget
Albany Handcuffs New York’s Cities
July 04, 2012
Local governments in New York are under serious and growing fiscal pressure, and the Legislature isn’t doing enough to ease the burden. Unfortunately, the Legislature seems oblivious.
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
City Budget
Cleaning Up NY's Garbage Disposal
June 03, 2012
New York City generates more than 25 tons of garbage per minute. That's 14 million tons per year, and the city's Department of Sanitation spends $2 billion annually to collect and dispose of about a third of it.
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.
Op Ed
City Budget
Fix NYC’s ‘Prevailing Wage’ Law
March 27, 2012
The City Council is set to take up a bill to expand the prevailing-wage law to cover building-service workers in buildings and projects that get financial assistance from the city. Whatever the merits of that expansion, we urgently need much greater transparency in how the “prevailing wage” is determined.
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.
Statement
City Budget
Statement on the CityTime Settlement
March 14, 2012
The $500 million CityTime settlement announced today is welcome news to New Yorkers. It is important that the recouped funds be used, not for short-term budget relief and restorations, but to help defray the costs of the City’s capital program.
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
City Budget
The Big Difference in Next Year's New York City Budget
February 23, 2012
Earlier this month, Mayor Michael Bloomberg presented New York City's Financial Plan for the next four years. It demonstrates a stark new reality: there is no large surplus of revenues, as there has been in past years, to help balance the budget.
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.
Op Ed
State Budget
More Bang For NY's Buck
December 27, 2011
As Governor Cuomo prepares his executive budget, he should seek structral changes that slow down the state's most potent cost-drivers (pensions, school aid and Medicaid), halt additional economic development spending and steer clear of budget tricks. Senior Research Associate Tammy Gamerman pens an op-ed for the New York Post.
Op Ed
Education
Mandate Relief Needed for Special Education in New York
November 06, 2011
New York State imposes more than 200 special education mandates beyond those required by federal law. Many of them translate into higher costs and fuel rapid and unsustainable spending growth.
Testimony
Energy & Environment
Testimony on NYC Solid Waste Management Practices
Submitted to NYC Council Committee on Sanitation & Solid Waste Management
October 27, 2011
New York is being wasteful in its waste management practices. We could save tens of millions, perhaps even hundreds of millions, of dollars without harming the environment by more sensibly managing New Yorkers’ solid waste. An improved system for waste collection and disposal could prevent further reductions in essential services in coming budgets.
Letter
Pensions & Benefits
CBC Commends State Legislators' Vote Against School District Borrowing
June 29, 2011
CBC sent a letter of commendation to the State Legislators who voted against school district borrowing for pension contributions (A6309/S4067).
Op Ed
State Budget
Improving New York's Fiscal Report Card Further
June 27, 2011
CBC President Carol Kellermann pens an op-ed congratulating the Governor and State Legislature on a productive session, but says more needs to be done on fiscal matters.