More On Reports
Search Within Reports
Showing 1 - 17 of 17
Report
Education
Sustainably Supporting a Sound Basic Education
Part 2
August 14, 2024
Flaws in New York State’s school aid funding formulas stop the State from effectively distributing funds based on student need and local capacity.
Report
Education
Sustainably Supporting a Sound Basic Education
Proposals to Reform NYS School Aid
July 16, 2024
While attention is primarily focused on Foundation Aid, which comprises nearly two-thirds of State school aid, effective resource allocation reform should address all funding streams.
Report
State Budget
Up and Away
State Budget Proposals Miss the Mark and Compound Fiscal Problems
March 26, 2024
As New York State lawmakers negotiate the State’s Fiscal Year 2025 Enacted Budget, they risk adding unsustainable spending, driving growth above 6 percent a year, and widening the structural gap to $20.3 billion.
Report
Education
Target and Tighten
The Sustainable Path for School Aid Growth in New York
March 13, 2024
The State’s burgeoning SOF spending has widened budget gaps. Spending restraint is needed to close those gaps, and that will only be accomplished by limiting growth in school aid, which is nearly 30 percent of SOF spending.
Report
State Budget
NYS Budget Outlook
Brighter Economy Has Not Closed Gaps; Focus Should Be Spending Restraint, with More Sunshine on Basic Breakouts
March 07, 2024
Continued strength in the economy has improved the tax receipts outlook for the State, but improving tax receipts are not and will not be the entire solution to closing out-year gaps.
Report
State Budget
Excelsior!
New York State Spending Growth Continues
February 22, 2024
Forward-looking budget choices this year–namely not layering on further tax and spending increases–would relieve the building budget pressure and stave off a potentially harsh fiscal reckoning.
Report
State Budget
Top of the Charts
New York and Its Localities Were #1 in Taxes and #2 in Spending
February 13, 2024
New York does not exist in a vacuum. It competes with other places, and other jurisdictions’ experiences provide an important perspective on the different choices that are being made.
Report
Education
Better Targeting New York’s Pupil Transportation Aid
December 12, 2012
This brief examines education funding in New York State with an emphasis on the distribution of funding versus costs across school districts. The brief includes recommended reforms to the State aid formulas in order to better target resources to the neediest districts and promote greater efficiency in school district management.
Report
Economic Development
Recommendations for the Next Round of Economic Development Council Awards
October 10, 2012
This brief analyzes the first round of awards for New York State's Regional Economic Development Councils and provides recommendations to standardize and improve evaluation of programs, as well as move toward a unified economic development budget.
Presentation
Capital Spending
Tappan Zee Hudson River Crossing
Presented by NYS Thruway Executive Director Thomas Madison
May 10, 2012
Report
Transportation
Refunding the MTA's Debt
The Importance of Getting it Right
May 06, 2012
This brief examines the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (MTA) large-scale refunding of outstandingdebt. It focuses on a refunding that saves money and spreads debt service costs fairly over time and does not juggle the timing of debt service costs in a manner places unfair costs on riders and taxpayers in the more
distant future.
Report
Capital Spending
6 Things New Yorkers Should Know About Prevailing Wage
February 13, 2012
This report is intended to provide New Yorkers with an understanding of how prevailing wage law works so they can understand and evaluate the arguments in the current debate.
Report
Pensions & Benefits
The First Priority in the New Year – Pension Reform
January 10, 2012
This brief examines pension cost growth in New York State and its effect on the New York's competitiveness. It recommends the adoption of a new tier of pension plans known as the Tier VI Proposal.
Report
Capital Spending
How Public-Private Partnerships Can Help New York Address Its Infrastructure Needs
December 11, 2008
This report explores the application of public-private partnership (PPPs) in New York by explaining its definition of such a relationship and offering in-depth guidelines, potential applications (including highway bridges, New York City school buildings, New York City parks, and higher education facilities), examples on a global, national, and local level, and potential missteps and cautions.
Report
Health Care
Paying More, But Not Getting Better Care
The Case For A New Payment System For Nursing Homes In New York's Medicaid Program
December 09, 2008
New York’s Medicaid program is the most expensive in the nation, projected to cost $45 billion in fiscal year 2008-09 and to consume nearly one-third of the New York State budget. New York State can provide needy residents with better nursing home care and save about $1.2 billion annually in fiscal year 2008-2009 by changing the way its Medicaid program pays nursing homes. This report explains why the current system is wasteful, perpetuating inefficiencies and inequities without assuring high quality care, and how a better payment system might work.
Report
Economic Development
It's Time to End New York State's Empire Zone Program
December 02, 2008
The Economic Development Zone program has become a vehicle for giving tax breaks to a variety of corporations with no clear, consistent, verifiable justification for the public investment. This report describes the benefits enjoyed by participating firms and how those benefits are distributed among economic regions of the State and types of firms; identifies and elaborates on the three serious problems that compromise the program’s efficacy; and asserts that the Empire Zone program cannot be fixed, citing past failures to do so, and should end.
Report
Taxes
The Citizens Budget Commission Review of Circuit Breakers
February 04, 2008
CBC recently looked at the option of expanding New York’s existing circuit breaker program to provide targeted relief to the neediest taxpayers as background for a forum on local tax relief convened on December 6, 2007. Based on that review of options the following points, outlined in this report, can be highlighted: 1) Circuit breakers are common; 2) New York’s circuit breaker needs reform; and 3) The poorly crafted School Tax Relief Program (STAR) would work better as a circuit breaker.