The fundamentals of the issue are pretty simple. The state sets Medicaid policy but forces counties and New York City to pick up a share of the cost, now averaging about 19%. It is a classic unfunded mandate. Only 15 other states make a similar demand. The Citizens Budget Commission, for one, has been calling for a state takeover for years.

Mr. Niblack’s comments came in response to a question from ABNY panel moderator Maria Doulis, vice president of the Citizens Budget Commission. “There are certainly risks on the Federal side” in terms of budget cuts, she said, but “there is also this question mark about the economy.”

She continued, “The monitors released their reports of the city plan and they find the economic growth, at least in terms of jobs being added, is slowing. This is also the first time in an expansionary period that I remember seeing non-property tax revenues, which are more economically sensitive, be essentially flat” for the current fiscal year and the next.”

Financial Plan Tweaks Weaken N.Y. MTA, Says Watchdog

Parity for New York State transportation investments is a misnomer, according to a report by budget watchdog Citizens Budget Commission.

The different honors hint at the varying scope of the Citizens Budget Commission as it patrols New York state and New York City finances and public authorities. The nonprofit group, which identifies itself as nonpartisan and independent, funded mostly by its membership dues and proceeds from its annual dinner, looks after the big picture and the granular.

More than 150,000 moderate- and middle-income households in New York City are still rent burdened, according to a 2015 Citizens Budget Commission policy brief. When families are rent-burdened—meaning they pay more than 30% of household income on rent—they often find it hard to afford other necessities such as health care and child care. Middle-income earners in New York deserve better.

The Citizens Budget Commission watchdog organization will honor U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and public finance veteran Felix Rohatyn at its annual dinner Thursday at the Pierre Hotel in New York.

In New York — Uber’s largest United States market — yellow cab trips are dropping, while the use of ride-hailing services has skyrocketed to about 16 million passengers in October from about five million in June 2015, according to an independent report on ride-hailing apps. The price of a taxi medallion has plummeted, many drivers have abandoned cabs for ride-hailing services and taxis sit idle in garages.
The Citizens Budget Commission, an independent watchdog, has also questioned whether New York can still count on the $1.2 billion in revenue it expects to collect from the future sale of taxi medallions, because their value has sunk.

Cities like New York and San Francisco are facing uncertainty about how to budget for the future. President Donald Trump has said he plans to make drastic budget cuts, and he’s also threatened to withhold federal money from “sanctuary cities.” Are cities running through scenarios where they might not have federal funding?

It's not news that taxi medallions, which were once valued at over a million dollars, have plunged in value to less than half that. Yet Mayor Bill de Blasio's latest budget includes $1.2 billion in revenue from the sale of new medallions — which one watchdog says is unrealistic.

An independent, nonpartisan watchdog said Tuesday that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s proposed budget should end the practice of providing tax breaks to employers, including Hollywood producers, in the face of questionable results in preserving or creating jobs.

Fiscal gimmicks: Kick the can down the road a few times, and those cans start to pile up.