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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
City Budget
NYC's Already High Spending Keeps Climbing
February 22, 2024
Despite the pandemic, recession, and multiple rounds of PEGs, City-funded spending is slated to increase 22.6 percent between fiscal years 2019 and 2025.
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
City Budget
Don’t Step Off the Cliff
Fiscal Cliffs and Budget Gaps in New York City’s Fiscal Year 2025 Preliminary Budget
February 08, 2024
To balance the fiscal year 2025 budget while also ensuring projected spending fully supports all planned programs, the City should implement an additional PEG in the Executive Budget and shrink or eliminate programs that the available resources cannot fully support.
Statement
City Budget
Statement on the New York City Fiscal Year 2025 Preliminary Budget
January 16, 2024
While Mayor Adams leveraged strong revenues and wisely implemented two rounds of PEG savings to balance the Preliminary Budget, many more hard choices are still needed to stave off a fiscal reckoning.
Statement
State Budget
Statement on the New York State Executive Budget for Fiscal Year 2025
January 16, 2024
While the budget takes some important initial steps to reduce spending growth, significant additional restraint will still be needed to close the State’s structural budget imbalance.
Report
City Budget
Unpacking the PEG
Examining the Impact of the NYC November 2023 Financial Plan Savings
January 10, 2024
Agencies should continue to identify efficiency savings that do not affect critical program services.
Statement
State Budget
Statement on Governor Hochul's 2024 State of the State Address
January 09, 2024
Governor Hochul rightly highlighted the importance of ensuring New York is attractive and affordable to businesses and residents and the need to protect New Yorkers from more tax increases.
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
Public Workforce
A Comparative Analysis of the Pay of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Officers
December 02, 2012
This brief compares the wages of Port Authority police officers with those of the largest state and local police forces in the region, as well as a federal agency. The major finding of the report is that Port Authority police officers are paid more generously than other agencies in the analysis.
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.
Report
Transportation
A Better Way to Pay for the MTA
October 09, 2012
This report builds upon previous research on the issue of how to finance the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, particularly its mass transit services. It updates and revises the findings and recommendations of a 2006 report and seeks to provide guidelines for future budget decisions.
Report
Energy & Environment
Taxes In, Garbage Out
The Need for Better Solid Waste Disposal Policies in New York City
May 30, 2012
This report makes the case for a significant change in the New York City Department of Sanitation's solid waste disposal practices, a shift from heavy reliance on long-distance exporting to landfills to greater reliance on use of local waste-to-energy facilities.
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
Health Care
A Troubling Prognosis for HHC's Finances
April 23, 2012
This report assesses New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation's (HHC) critical role within the health care safety net protecting lower income New Yorkers, and it explores two significant fiscal challenges in the coming years: threats to City-supported revenues and an inadequate gap-closing plan.
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.
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
Public Workforce
MTA-TWU Wage Negotiations
A "Fair Increase" Will Not Increase Fares
January 29, 2012
This report examines the contract negotiations between the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and its largest union, the Transport Workers Union Local 100, and it applies the criteria specified by the Public Employment Relations Board for determining arbitration awards. It finds that the public interest will be served by an agreement that maintains a good standard of living for workers, is within the MTA’s ability to pay, and does not force further harm upon riders.
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
Taxes
Local Taxes in New York State
Easing the Burden
December 06, 2007
A background paper for the third session of a 2007 stakeholder conference to “fix Albany.” The process by which the next budget is prepared and debated, as well as the substantive decisions it embodies, are critical to the movement for political and fiscal reform in New York State. This paper focuses on a more equitable and affordable local tax burden.