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Blog
City Budget
Scant Savings
Agencies Must Increase Efficiency to Meet Budget Target
February 15, 2017
The $3.8 billion Citywide Savings Program features little in the way of savings from increasing the efficiency of government operations.
Blog
State Budget
Shifts and Levers: Meeting a 2 Percent Spending Target with Fiscal Gimmicks
February 14, 2017
How does the State budget keeps spending below 2 percent? With 4 fiscal gimmicks.
Blog
Education
Governor’s School Aid Proposal Extends Existing Inequities
February 09, 2017
Big changes proposed to Foundation Aid bake in existing inequities.
Blog
City Budget
What to Look for in the NYC Preliminary Budget for FY2018
January 23, 2017
The big questions surrounding the release of the FY2018 Preliminary Budget and Ten-Year Capital Strategy
Blog
State Budget
First Take on the NYS FY2018 Executive Budget
January 19, 2017
How does the State budget look? Most proposals get mixed reviews.
Blog
State Budget
Questions About the NYS FY2018 Executive Budget
January 12, 2017
How much with the Governor's proposals cost and how will he pay for them?
Blog
Transportation
Why We Should Go Slow on the Second Avenue Subway
November 03, 2015
Why delaying plans for the second phase of the Second Avenue subway is sensible.
Blog
Transportation
Best (and Worst) Stations by Subway Line
September 14, 2015
identifies the best and worst train stations in New York City Transit-MTA system.
Blog
City Budget
The Cost of More Cops: A Full Accounting
August 03, 2015
Police officers have a greater budget impact than most other City employees: what's the cost of 1,300 new cops?
Blog
State Budget
An Expensive Deal in Albany
June 28, 2015
The legislative package passed in Albany last week rejected some misguided and expensive proposals, including a tax credit for benefactors of private schools. Unfortunately, other expensive proposals were included, adding to current and future state expenses without providing offsetting savings or revenues.
Blog
Transportation
Who Pays When “The City” Gives Money to the MTA?
May 05, 2015
Calls for “the City” to provide more funding should be clear about who is really being asked to foot the bill: New York City taxpayers already provide most of the MTA's revenue through the combination of local, regional, and state taxes.
Blog
City Budget
A PEG by Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet
April 19, 2015
Mayor de Blasio voices heartfelt interest in finding ways to save money, but he does not want to call it a PEG or put such name in his plan, at least in part because of its identification with prior administrations.
Blog
Economic Development
Economic Development Bigger in State Budget, But Benefits Unclear
April 15, 2015
Since 2011 New York leaders have restrained growth in the state’s operating budget; in contrast, the scale and scope of questionable economic development programs continue to be expanded significantly. In 2014 state and local spending for these activities totaled $8 billion.
Blog
Taxes
How Much to Bank on? When it Comes to Revenue Forecasting, Better Safe Than Sorry
April 12, 2015
What kind of impact could a recession have on New York City's revenues?
Blog
Education
New York State School Aid
A Big Increase, Badly Allocated Among Districts
April 08, 2015
The fiscal year 2016 state budget enacted last week includes a 6.0 percent increase in annual formula-based aid to school districts from $21.8 billion to $23.1 billion. This is the third consecutive year in which the Governor and the legislature have busted the statutory growth cap they agreed upon in 2011.
Blog
Transportation
A Fairer Fare Increase
March 18, 2015
Discusses another, arguably fairer, revenue-raising strategy for the MTA
Blog
State Budget
New York’s $1 Billion Brownfield Cleanup Program
March 17, 2015
Overview of Brownfield Cleanup Program
Blog
Capital Spending
Don't Block Design-Build
March 15, 2015
New York State's trial with design-build has produced convincing results that merit permanently authorizing and extending design-build authority as a first key step in modernizing the State’s approach to public projects.
Blog
Pensions & Benefits
New York Should Stop Borrowing from its Pension Funds
February 25, 2015
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Budget for FY2016 proposes to borrow an additional $1.8 billion from public employee pension funds in coming years. This proposal adds to taxpayers’ long-run costs and risks weakening the fiscal condition of the funds.
Blog
State Budget
Hits Outnumber Misses in the Governor’s FY 2016 Budget Proposal
January 26, 2015
The fiscal year 2016 Executive Budget worthwhile proposals that should not be overlooked in the wake of the Assembly leadership crisis. Nonetheless, some misguided elements should be eliminated or modified.