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Podcast episode
Housing
$60 billion, with Lisa Bova-Hiatt and Jamie Rubin
April 05, 2024
$60 billion is how much the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) estimates it should invest in its infrastructure over the next 5 years. NYCHA faces persistent challenges: recurring budget gaps, rising expenses, weakening rent collection, deteriorating physical conditions, and more. NYCHA's CEO Lisa Bova-Hiatt and Chair Jamie Rubin both spoke with CBC at a recent event to discuss the plans and strategies they've put in place to better manage the nation's largest public housing system.
Podcast episode
State Budget
$233 billion, with Blake Washington
March 26, 2024
233 billion is the total NYS budget proposed by Governor Hochul for fiscal year 2025, and that is the talk of the town in Albany as executive and legislative leaders work on a new budget agreement in time for the April 1 deadline. NYS Budget Director Blake Washington, who is a key part of budget negotiations happening right now, spoke with the CBC at a recent event. He and CBC President Andrew Rein discussed the State's current fiscal picture, the large structural gap, and more of the pressing issues facing New York.
Testimony
City Budget
Testimony on Public Safety Preliminary Budget Hearing
Submitted to the City Council Committee on Public Safety
March 20, 2024
CBC recently released “Straight from New Yorkers,” our 2023 Resident Survey, which provides a comprehensive, statistically valid, post-pandemic view into how New Yorkers feel about the quality of life in the city and how they rate government services.
Testimony
Housing
Testimony on the New York City Housing Authority and the City’s Preliminary Fiscal Year 2025 Budget
New York City Council Committee on Public Housing
March 12, 2024
Many critical steps should be taken quickly to stabilize NYCHA’s budget and improve physical conditions.
Podcast episode
Education
$39.5 billion, with Chancellor David Banks and Emma Vadehra
March 05, 2024
$39.5 billion is how much NYC spends to educate our students each year. The New York City Public Schools has an enormous and challenging task: to educate and develop 900,000 students who come from a wide diversity of backgrounds and needs. And it’s important to ask: Are we getting the return we need on our dollars? How are our students doing? To answer this and other pressing questions is NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks and Deputy Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer Emma Vadehra.
Testimony
City Budget
Testimony on NYC Fiscal Year 2025 Preliminary Budget
Submitted to the New York City Council Finance Committee
March 04, 2024
CBC’s analysis finds that the Preliminary Budget presents balanced budgets for fiscal years 2024 and 2025 as required by law; however, proposed spending in fiscal year 2025 is short by $3.6 billion needed to continue the current level of services.
Testimony
Transportation
Public Comment on the Proposed Structure For the Central Business District Tolling Program
Submitted to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority
February 29, 2024
While the Citizens Budget Commission (CBC) has long held the position that there should not be credits for bridge or tunnel crossings, we believe the Traffic Mobility Review Board’s (TMRB) congestion pricing toll recommendations, as a whole, are reasonable.
Podcast episode
Taxes
151,700, with Maria Doulis
January 31, 2024
151,700 is the net loss of New York personal income tax filers in 2020 and 2021. Some of that is the result of the pandemic, but how much? With this episode, CBC is relaunching the podcast to return to a more focused discussion with policy leaders, and there is no better way to re-launch than with the podcast's founder: CBC alum Maria Doulis, Deputy New York State Comptroller for Budget and Policy Analysis. Join us as we explore one of the most difficult challenges facing the City and State—how to keep and attract more New Yorkers.
Podcast episode
Energy & Environment
85%, with Doreen Harris and Basil Seggos
January 26, 2024
85% is the amount New York State has to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. One of the major pathways to this reduction will be the State’s Cap-and-Invest program, which will cap and reduce emissions, auction off the right to emit, set up a trading system for those rights, and generate billions of dollars to be invested in energy transition and to offset costs of the transition for some residents. Doreen Harris, President and CEO of the NYS Energy Research and Development Authority, and Basil Seggos, Commissioner of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, joined CBC to discuss Cap-and-Invest, as well as offshore wind, energy transition and resiliency, the Environmental Bond Act, and much more.
Podcast episode
City Budget
2.7%, with Alex Heil
December 20, 2017
2.7% is the economic growth forecast for 2018 in the Port Authority’s 17-county region, which encompasses more than 200 municipalities. The Port Authority's Chief Economist Alex Heil joined WT[D]P to discuss the economic and transportation trends that impact the Port's bottom line.
Podcast episode
City Budget
1996, with Chris Jones
December 14, 2017
1996 is the last time a comprehensive regional plan was issued by the Regional Plan Association. Special guest Chris Jones, Senior Vice President and Chief Planner at RPA, joined the podcast to discuss the 4th Regional Plan, which was released last month. The plan contains 61 separate recommendations in four action areas that represent major challenges and areas of opportunity.
Podcast episode
City Budget
10 years, with Michael Jacobson
December 06, 2017
10 years is the amount of time the de Blasio administration says it will take to shut down Rikers Island.Special guest Michael Jacobson is the executive director of the CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance. He was once the City's Correction Commissioner as well as the Probation Commissioner. He is a member of the Lippman Commission, convened by the City Council to solve the crisis at Rikers. Michael joined the podcast to discuss the Commission's findings--namely to close Rikers and move the inmates to facilities near courthouses and civic centers throughout the boroughs.
Podcast episode
City Budget
$26 billion, with Martha Stark
November 30, 2017
$26 billion is the amount of property taxes the City will collect this fiscal year-- it is the largest single source of revenue that funds NYC government. Special guest Martha Stark is a former Commissioner of the Department of Finance. She joined the podcast to discuss the complexities of the system for valuing and taxing real property and explained why reform is badly needed.
Podcast episode
City Budget
44 days, with NYC Council Member Daniel Garodnick
November 16, 2017
44 is the number of days left in term-limited Council Member Daniel Garodnick's tenure. Council Member Garodnick has been a voice of reason in the City Council, having raised important questions about the city budget, economic development, and contracts. He chairs the City Council's Committee on Economic Development, is on the budget negotiating team, and in his final months has been fighting to pass reform of the commercial rent tax.
Testimony
Economic Development
Testimony on Economic Development Programs
Given to the New York State Assembly Standing Committee on Economic Development, Job Creation, Commerce and Industry, and the Standing Committee on Small Business
November 13, 2017
Testimony on economic development programs that leverage state funds to translate technological advancements into viable long-term business development and economic growth.
Podcast episode
City Budget
$67 Billion, with Jay Kriegel
November 09, 2017
$67 billion is the amount of state and local taxes New York State residents deduct from their federal tax returns each year. Known as SALT, this deduction is the topic of intense debate in Washington. Congressional leadership proposes to eliminate or cap SALT in order to offset the cost of corporate and other tax cuts.Special guest Jay Kriegel, Senior Advisor at Related Companies, is a New York communications and strategic advisor who has been involved in a number of major New York political and policy initiatives. In 1986, Jay led a national coalition that thwarted an attempt to eliminate the SALT deduction, and today he has taken a leadership role in the coalition to protect it.
Podcast episode
City Budget
348 and 74, with Riley Edwards
November 02, 2017
The data points are 348 and 74.348 is the number of Local Development Corporations and Industrial Development Agencies in NYS. These corporations made $16.2 billion in economic development investments from 2011 through 2015, yet only 5 of the state's 62 counties have had job growth higher than the national average. For this half of the podcast WTDP is joined by CBC Research Associate, Riley Edwards, author of the recent report: "Opaque and Duplicative - Local Economic Development in New York State."
74 is the number of Business Improvement Districts in NYC. CBC's report "BIDS - Organization, Oversight, and Transparency" describes the history and nature of these organizations, what services they provide, and whether property owners are getting their money's worth. WTDP is joined by CBC's Director of Research, Tim Sullivan, to explain.
Podcast episode
City Budget
$95 billion, with Dr. Thad Calabrese
October 25, 2017
This episode's datapoint is $95 billion, the current value of all of the future retiree benefits, except pensions, already earned by current retirees and employees of NYC. This amount, referred to as OPEB, or 'Other Post-Employment Benefits,' is primarily the cost of health insurance for NYC employees, their spouses and families. Special guest Dr. Thad Calabrese of NYU, and author of CBC's latest report on this subject, "The Price of Promises Made," gives an in-depth look at the City's OPEB obligations, compare them to those of other cities around the country, and explains why the City should establish more appropriate benefits and funding arrangements.
Podcast episode
City Budget
1936, with Dr. Gerald Benjamin
October 19, 2017
This episode's datapoint is 1936, as in the last time that voters in New York chose to call a convention to amend the state constitution. It is a question that is mandated to be on the ballot every 20 years, and after it was voted down by voters in 1957, 1977, and 1997, we are again at the 20-year mark here in 2017. Today's special guest is Dr. Gerald Benjamin of SUNY New Paltz, an expert on the constitution and the convention process.
Podcast episode
City Budget
60+ years, with Kent Hiteshew and Renee Boicourt
October 12, 2017
This episode's datapoint is "60+," as in the combined years of professional experience of special guests Renee Boicourt and Kent Hiteshew in matters of public finance. Listen to a live recording from CBC's recent event, "Fiscal Crises," where our expert guests discussed lessons learned from the bankruptcy of Detroit and the ongoing crisis in Puerto Rico.