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Letter
Pensions & Benefits
CBC Urges Governor to Veto 20 Benefit Sweeteners
A Letter to the Governor
November 29, 2023
CBC urges you to veto S5027/A5208 and 19 other bills because they enhance benefits and increase costs to New York State and local governments.
Letter
State Budget
Watchdogs Urge Governor to Veto S7562/A7757 to Amend the Film Tax Credit
A Letter to the Governor
October 16, 2023
CBC recommends that you veto S7562/A7757, which expands eligibility for the Empire State Film Production Credit.
Report
Economic Development
11 Billion Reasons to Rethink
New York's Increasing Economic Development Spending
July 20, 2023
Despite improved disclosure about individual projects, State and local economic development spending continues to increase without sufficient evidence that these programs cost-effectively create jobs or are more beneficial than alternative uses of the funds.
Report
Pensions & Benefits
8 Things New Yorkers Should Know About Public Retirement Benefits in New York State
October 19, 2010
This report presents eight facts about retirement benefits for New York State and local employees intended to stimulate a substantive discourse on pursuing changes to prevent underfunding of the pension systems and to make retirement benefits more fair and affordable.
Report
Pensions & Benefits
Better Benefits from our Billion Bucks
August 02, 2010
This report describes the organization and financing of the union welfare funds, identifies and documents three problems with the current arrangements – limited accountability, poor financial management and inefficient provision of benefits - and presents recommendations to improve the use of these payments and provide taxpayer savings.
Letter
Economic Development
CBC Urges the State Legislature to Let the Empire Zones Program Sunset
April 12, 2010
This letter was written to urge the State legislature to allow the seriously flawed Empire Zones program to sunset as of June 30, 2010, as established by law, and to enact the Excelsior program as proposed by the Governor.
Report
State Budget
In The Danger Zone
A Comparative Analysis of New York State's Long-Term Obligations
March 08, 2010
This comparative analysis examines the debt burden of the 50 states. It finds that New York's debt burden is well above national averages and greater than that of all but three states.
Report
Pensions & Benefits
Out of Balance
A Comparison of Public and Private Employee Benefits in New York City
December 16, 2009
The CBC and the Partnership for New York City surveyed large private firms in New York City to provide a basis for comparing the health insurance and pension benefits of private sector workers with those of municipal employees.
Report
Education
Is It a Good Deal?
How New Yorkers Should Judge The Next Teachers' Contract
November 11, 2009
The New York City teachers’ contract expired on October 31, 2009. A new agreement may be reached soon. As the City faces a $5 billion budget gap for the next fiscal year and key educational reforms remain unfinished, here are key questions parents and taxpayers should ask to judge whether the next contract is a good deal for them.
Report
Economic Development
Overhauling the New York Power Authority's Economic Development Programs
September 22, 2009
This report focuses on the numerous subsidized power programs for economic development run by the New York Power Authority. It is the second in a series, the intent of which is to identify ways that New York's current tools can be used more effectively.
Report
Pensions & Benefits
The Explosion in Pension Costs
10 Things New Yorkers Should Know About Retirement Benefits for New York City Employees
April 06, 2009
In recent years, one of the fastest growing expenses for New York City government has been retirement benefits for municipal workers. This growth is driven mainly by investment losses in the pension funds and the enrichment of retirement benefits. As New York taxpayers have a critical interest in understanding the reasons behind the explosion in retirement benefit costs and what can be done to limit future liabilities, this report summarizes 10 facts about retirement benefits for New York employees.
Letter
Economic Development
CBC and Others Urge the State Legislature to Reform Empire Zones
February 11, 2009
This letter to the State Legislature, written in conjunction with the NYS AFL-CIO, the Metropolitan Development Association of Syracuse and Central New York and the Partnership for New York City, is in support of Governor David Paterson's proposal to scale back the almost $600 million-a-year Empire Zone Program.
Report
Pensions & Benefits
Six-Figure Civil Servants
Average Compensation Cost Of New York City Public Employees
January 08, 2009
In fiscal year 2008, the average compensation cost per New York City full-time employee was $106,743; this figure represents a system out of sync with the private sector and an opportunity to limit the growth of the City’s liability in the future while continuing to provide fair and adequate compensation to the City’s employees. Three factors that have driven the growth in compensation among City employees are: 1) Pay increases are directly attributable to contract settlements with unions; 2) More generous terms of the health insurance benefits offered by the City, as compared to the private sector and other state and local governments; and 3) The benefit retirement plans offered by the City that lock in the City’s future payouts to retirees based on the employee’s pay, years of employment and age at retirement among other factors. CBC offers three recommendations in response to these factors.
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
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
State Budget
Public Authorities in New York State
April 03, 2006
New York State’s extensive reliance on authorities has given rise to four significant problems: 1) Misuse of the power to incur debt; 2) Insufficient oversight and coordination of project revenue backed and private conduit borrowing; 3) Insufficient reporting to support accountability; and 4) Insufficient independence in governance. Each problem is explained more fully in this report, along with five strategies to address them.
Report
Pensions & Benefits
Old Assumptions, New Realities
The Truth About Wages and Retirement Benefits For Government Employees
March 31, 2006
This report summarizes a more detailed study prepared by CBC, “The Case for Redesigning Retirement Benefits for New York’s Public Employees,” released in 2005. For decades the popular image of government employment has involved the tradeoff of lower wages for job security and relatively generous retirement benefits. That image, while still widespread, is no longer the reality.
Report
State Budget
New York's Endangered Future
Debt Beyond Our Means
September 21, 2005
New York State's debt obligations will require current and future taxpayers to bear a burden that creates a competitive disadvantage with the other states. The core issue is that New York has no effective legal limits on the amount of debt it can assume. CBC advocates for short-run and long-run measures; in the near term, voters should reject bond referendums such as the Transportation Bond Act of 2005 until debt is brought under control, and in the long-run the State must strike a balance between adequate infrastructure investment and a competitive debt burden.
Report
Economic Development
Encouraging Small Business Success in New York City and Northern New Jersey
What Firms Value Most
July 29, 2005
This survey of small businesses in New York City and Northern New Jersey finds that these businesses broadly agree on the three most important factors to success: 1) Overall cost of business; 2) Proximity to clients and markets; and 3) Access to a skilled labor force.
Report
City Budget
The Myth of the "Uncontrollables"
Four Ways New York City Can Take Control of Its Financial Future and Save $2.5 Billion per Year
May 11, 2005
For years New York City mayors have bemoaned the fact that much of the budget is uncontrollable: pension fund contributions, health insurance, Medicaid, and debt service. This report suggests four ways to reduce the “uncontrollables” and save $2.5 billion annually.