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Report
Health Care
Fiscal Challenges Facing the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation
November 06, 2014
HHC is crucial to all New Yorkers, providing care to more than one million patients annually. Despite HHC's importance, its fiscal condition is troubled. HHC's cash resources are being depleted; absent an aggressive gap-closing plan its cash reserves will be exhausted in fiscal year 2016.
Report
Transportation
Misplaced Priorities in the MTA's Capital Plan
October 23, 2014
The plan identifies $16.9 billion in available funding, but a gap of about $15.2 billion remains unfunded. This CBC study focuses on how the money would be spent and recommends that the proposed plan be revised to address three serious shortcomings.
Report
Education
Vote "No" on the Smart Schools Bond Act
October 19, 2014
While enhancing the use of technology in schools is a popular cause, the Smart Schools Bond Act is ill-conceived and deserves a "no" vote for three reasons discussed in this report.
Report
Energy & Environment
Getting the Fiscal Waste Out of Solid Waste Collection in New York City
September 23, 2014
With a new mayoral administration, a new sanitation commissioner, and an expired contract with municipal sanitation workers, redesigning the public and private components of local waste collection would save about $300 million annually in the long term. The Mayor and City Council should make this restructuring a goal and begin a multiyear phase-in.
Report
Housing
Location Affordability in Large U.S. Cities
Variability Among Types of Households
August 19, 2014
The third in a series on affordable housing in New York City, this policy brief considers combined housing and transportation costs relative to income for a variety of housing types.
Report
Housing
Housing Affordability Versus Location Affordability
The Rent's Too Damn High! But the Metrocard is a Pretty Good Deal
August 13, 2014
Low transportation costs and high income make New York City relatively affordable when compared to other large cities in the United States.
Report
Housing
The Affordable Housing Crisis
How Bad Is It in New York City?
August 05, 2014
The policy brief, the first in a series on housing affordability, analyzes data from 22 U.S. cities to assess whether affordable housing is a nationwide problem or one particular to New York City.
Report
Energy & Environment
12 Things New Yorkers Should Know About Their Garbage
May 21, 2014
This report highlights the reasons for the surprisingly high cost of this essential service, including inefficiencies that the City should address in its upcoming negotiations with sanitation workers.
Report
Transportation
Financing PATH
Options for Deficit Reduction
April 23, 2014
This report examines the financing arrangements for the PATH transit system operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
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
Health Care
Paying More, But Not Getting Better Care
The Case For A New Payment System For Nursing Homes In New York's Medicaid Program
December 09, 2008
New York’s Medicaid program is the most expensive in the nation, projected to cost $45 billion in fiscal year 2008-09 and to consume nearly one-third of the New York State budget. New York State can provide needy residents with better nursing home care and save about $1.2 billion annually in fiscal year 2008-2009 by changing the way its Medicaid program pays nursing homes. This report explains why the current system is wasteful, perpetuating inefficiencies and inequities without assuring high quality care, and how a better payment system might work.
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
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
State Budget
Fixing New York State's Fiscal Practices
Five Problems That Hurt New York State and What Can Be Done to Fix Them
November 09, 2003
This report highlights 5 major fiscal issues facing New York State: 1) New Yorkers are the most heavily taxed Americans; 2) the State’s debt burden is among the highest in the nation; 3) New York has large and recurring budget gaps; 4) the budget process lacks timeliness, transparency, and responsibility; and 5) improvements in fiscal practices are hampered by unresponsive governmental institutions. In addition, the report offers solutions to these important issues.
Report
State Budget
Reform in New York
The Budget, The Legislature, and the Governance Process
November 09, 2003
This is a report on New York State's legislative process presented on behalf of the CBC by Professor Gerald Benjamin of SUNY New Paltz. It was presented at a 2003 CBC conference on New York State's Fiscal Practices.
Report
State Budget
Looking Beyond Fiscal Year 2004
Guidelines for Resolving New York State's Fiscal Crisis
March 26, 2003
This report that highlights an alternative framework for addressing New York State’s fiscal crisis.
Report
City Budget
The City's Budget Gap Since 9/11
Factors That Caused It, and Plans to Close It
March 03, 2003
This report identifies the causes of New York City’s unprecedented budget gap for fiscal year 2003-2004 and recommends solutions to close it.
Report
Public Workforce
The Citizens' Stakes in Collective Bargaining
Recommendations for the Current Negotiations with the Municipal Employee Unions
December 12, 2000
Report presenting recommendations for contracts to be negotiated with municipal employees that would help reduce the cost of public services, improve the quality of those services, and enhance the income and working conditions of New York's civil servants.
Report
Capital Spending
An Affordable Debt Policy for New York State and New York City
October 17, 2000
Presents a new approach for determining how much the State and City should borrow, including criteria for deciding how much state and local debt is affordable.
Report
Using Collective Bargaining to Improve Public Education: Recommendations for the 2000 Negotiations With the United Federation of Teachers
August 30, 2000
This report on the contract between the Board of Education and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) provides suggestions for how to improve public schools through collective bargaining.