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Report
Transportation
What to Look for in the MTA’s November 2023 Financial Plan
November 27, 2023
While the budget outlook is positive, caution is warranted. The MTA and stakeholders should closely monitor ongoing results because certain risks threaten its projected revenue and expenses.
Report
City Budget
What to Look for in the New York City November 2023 Financial Plan
November 14, 2023
When New York City adopted its fiscal year 2024 budget in June 2023 without addressing underlying structural imbalances, it virtually guaranteed that major fiscal challenges remained on the horizon.
Report
Transportation
Needs and Wants
What to Look for in the MTA's Twenty-Year Needs Assessment
September 21, 2023
Based on analysis of past needs assessments, this report recommends how the MTA should improve its forthcoming Twenty-Year Needs Assessment.
Report
City Budget
PEGs In Perspective
NYC FY 2024 Executive Budget
May 23, 2023
The vast majority of these actions will have no impact on services, thus far providing savings primarily by saving money that would not have been spent anyway.
Report
City Budget
7 Facts About the NYC Department of Buildings
April 25, 2023
CBC’s review of the agency’s budget presents trends in spending, revenues, staffing, and outputs.
Report
Education
School Spending, Enrollment, and Fiscal Cliffs 101:
The NYC Department of Education Budget Before, During, and After the Pandemic
April 11, 2023
Decisions about the DOE’s budget should consider enrollment declines and the City’s precarious fiscal condition.
Report
Economic Development
Managing Economic Development Programs in NYC: Lessons for the Next Mayor From the Past Decade
The Most Important Economic and Fiscal Decisions Facing the Next Mayor
December 06, 2013
This paper describes the economic development programs used in New York City and assesses the experience during the Bloomberg Administration in order to provide suggestions for further improvements by the next Mayor.
Report
Capital Spending
Planning After PLANYC: A Framework for Developing New York City's Next Ten-Year Capital Strategy
The Most Important Economic and Fiscal Decisions Facing the Next Mayor
December 06, 2013
This report reviews capital planning and spending during Mayor Bloomberg’s tenure in order to suggest principles that can guide the development of a new long-term capital plan and financing strategy.
Report
Taxes
Tax Policy Choices and New York City's Competitive Position
The Most Important Economic and Fiscal Decisions Facing the Next Mayor
December 06, 2013
The purpose of this background paper is to help inform tax policy choices that the new mayoral administration may face. It examines levels of taxation in New York City compared to other cities, and it reviews research on how taxes affect the local economy and migration patterns.
Report
Taxes
Options for Property Tax Reform: Equitable Revenue Raising Reforms for NYC's Property Tax
The Most Important Economic and Fiscal Decisions Facing the Next Mayor
December 05, 2013
The purpose of this report is to describe three options for increasing property tax revenues. The first of these options maintains status quo inequities; in contrast, the other two address some major problems with fairness and efficiency that characterize current policy.
Report
Public Workforce
7 Things New Yorkers Should Know About Municipal Labor Contracts
May 19, 2013
This brief lists seven things New Yorkers should know about New York City collective bargaining and labor relations.
Report
Economic Development
Competitiveness Scorecard
Assessing NYC's Competitiveness as a Home for Human Capital
February 06, 2013
This scorecard assesses the New York City metropolitan area’s competitiveness in attracting, cultivating and retaining talent. The scorecard is based on the relative performance of the New York City metro area against 14 of the largest domestic metro areas on a comprehensive set of quantitative indicators.
Report
Capital Spending
New York City's Water and Sewer System
Is the Rent Too Damn High?
December 14, 2011
This report provides a history of the City's water rental payment, critiques the current method for setting the rent, and suggests alternative approaches to setting the rent.
Report
City Budget
What is a “Balanced Budget”?
November 08, 2011
This brief examines the multiple versions of a balanced budget standard that have arisen from the City's deviation from Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and recent modifications to GAAP that set a new and higher benchmark for a balanced budget.
Report
Transportation
Benchmarking Efficiency for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Services
April 05, 2011
This report helps identify priorities for ongoing efforts to control costs at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority through benchmarking by comparing unit cost measures with other large urban transit agencies in the United States. It also suggests priorities for new efficiency initiatives.
Report
Energy & Environment
New York’s Green Policies
Too Much or Too Little – A Competitive Perspective
April 03, 2011
This report assesses how New York compares to other cities in pursuing green objectives and suggests how New York’s leaders can set priorities for taking additional steps to promote environmental goals in ways that align with goals of economic growth and urban competitiveness.
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
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.
Report
Taxes
How Much Do Taxes Matter?
A Citizens Budget Commission Panel Discussion
December 11, 2006
In this background paper prepared for a panel discussion "How Much Do Taxes Matter? New York City's Tax Burden and Economic Competitiveness," which was convened by CBC on December 11, 2006, Elizabeth Roistacher, professor of economics at CUNY Queens College, summarizes the econometric literature that tries to model the relationship between tax levels and economic growth.
Report
City Budget
Managing for Results in New York City Government
A Review of Current Practices
November 30, 2006
In this report, CBC highlights two major weaknesses in the City’s management accountability framework: 1) Money and performance are not connected in the budget; and 2) The City is not focused on achieving results the public desires in every service area. To address these weaknesses, the report makes five recommendations.