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Op Ed
State Budget
Repeal the Film Tax Credit, But Don't Expect Savings Just Yet
Even if this wasteful program is killed in 2018, its expenditures will continue for years
December 13, 2017
The Citizens Budget Commission is a long-time critic of the New York State Film Tax Credit program and supports its repeal. However, due to some unusual provisions of state tax law, repeal of the credit will not yield immediate state savings.
Report
Pensions & Benefits
2017 Benefit Sweetener Scorecard
December 07, 2017
The State Legislature passed 26 bills. Click to learn more.
Report
Pensions & Benefits
The Price of Promises Made
What New York City Should Do About Its $95 Billion OPEB Debt
October 25, 2017
CBC presents options for tackling this looming $95 billion liability threatening New York City's fiscal health.
Report
Capital Spending
Bridging the Financial Gap
Funding the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge
October 12, 2017
Tolls for the new Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge have not been released yet, but based on construction costs, CBC estimates it will be approximately $10 for cars, double the current rate.
Report
Health Care
Medicaid Supplemental Payments
The Alphabet Soup of Programs Sustaining Ailing Hospitals Faces Risks and Needs Reform
August 31, 2017
$5 billion in annual supplemental payments are important to the finances of many hospitals. Federal policy will shrink these payments; the impact will be most severe for NYC municipal hospitals.
Report
Public Workforce
Overboard on OT
Reductions in Uniformed Overtime Needed
August 17, 2017
NYC blows its budget on overtime annually, and the costs have grown tremendously year over year. To "cap" overtime effectively, labor and management should work collaboratively.
Special Feature
Economic Development
Economic Development in the New York State Budget
June 14, 2017
Reporting is limited and differs by program. With $4.0 billion in annual state spending and tax expenditures, a significant investment is being made without enough information to evaluate its success.
Special Feature
Public Workforce
Facts About NYC Employee Compensation
May 19, 2017
An infographic that shows the City's projected headcount increase from FY2018 to FY2021, the projected average compensation from FY2017 to FY2021, and the average pay by agency and category of worker in FY2016.
Special Feature
Public Workforce
Average Pay at the 15 Largest New York City Agencies, FY 2016
April 24, 2017
How much do New York City employees earn in pay each year?
Special Feature
Education
District Map of Foundation Aid for SY 2017-2018
From Enacted NYS Budget
April 20, 2017
Interactive map that shows the distribution of Foundation Aid per pupil and per district
Op Ed
Education
Fix NY's broken formula for distributing school aid
March 22, 2017
How much more funding should New York state provide to Syracuse public schools? A report by the Citizens Budget Commission, for which I was the primary author, says that an increase of $83 million is needed for the City of Syracuse school district.
Op Ed
Education
How Much More State Education Funding Is Needed?
March 08, 2017
With reforms to the way funding is distributed, the State can fund a "sound, basic education" with $569 million more in annual funding.
Special Feature
Education
District Map of Proposed Foundation Aid for SY 2017-2018
February 07, 2017
How much is foundation aid going to increase in your school district?
Report
Public Workforce
Governor Cuomo's Labor Contracts
Only Getting Part of the Job Done
January 06, 2017
In collective bargaining, the Governor must balance paying workers fairly with keeping tax levels reasonable. More needs to be done to control rising fringe benefits costs.
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
State Budget
The Palisades Principles Revisited
A Progress Report
June 04, 2005
CBC reviews New York State’s progress on the 10 principles of budget reform known as the Palisades Principles. These 10 principles emerged from a statewide conference of civic and business leaders held in November 2003 in Palisades, NY. Of the 10 principles, four have shown no progress, five have shown some progress, and only one has shown significant progress.
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.
Report
Pensions & Benefits
The Case for Redesigning Retirement Benefits for New York's Public Employees
April 29, 2005
This report presents recommendations for redesigning the retirement benefits – health insurance and pension payments – for employees of the City of New York and State of New York. It includes a description of current benefits and a comparison to benefits provided by other large private and public employers.
Report
State Budget
Recommendations for the New York State 2005-2006 Budget
March 21, 2005
CBC recommends for the fiscal year 2005-2006 State budget: 1) Significantly reduce spending on Medicaid and on ineffective programs; 2) Make meaningful progress in a long-run realignment of state and local fiscal responsibilities for Medicaid and school financing; 3) Balance the budget with recurring revenues; and 4) Enact the budget on time and in full sunlight.
Report
Education
Can New York Get An A In School Finance Reform?
January 01, 2005
The State of New York faces a major challenge stemming from a 2003 ruling by the Court of Appeals, the State’s highest court, which found that the more than 1 million children in New York City’s public schools were not provided with the sound basic education guaranteed to them by the State Constitution. CBC addresses two fundamental questions: Where should the money come from? What changes other than more money are essential to improving educational outcomes?