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Blog
Capital Spending
Don’t Pass the Capital Pork
June 07, 2019
Like most other spending decisions, capital spending is best decided during budget negotiations.
Blog
Transportation
Watch the (MTA Budget) Gap!
Operating Budget Is Worse Than It Appears
August 07, 2019
The MTA's 2020 Preliminary Budget and four-year financial plan reveals an alarming fiscal outlook.
Report
Transportation
Refunding the MTA's Debt
The Importance of Getting it Right
May 06, 2012
This brief examines the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (MTA) large-scale refunding of outstandingdebt. It focuses on a refunding that saves money and spreads debt service costs fairly over time and does not juggle the timing of debt service costs in a manner places unfair costs on riders and taxpayers in the more
distant future.
Blog
State Budget
Truth in (Financial Plan) Reporting
Will New York State’s Mid-Year Financial Plan Update Appropriately Reflect and Address the Medicaid Budget Shortfall?
November 05, 2019
The State must recognize actual and timely payments for the Medicaid program and explain how it will address the estimated $9 billion Medicaid budget shortfall.
Blog
Public Workforce
The High Cost of the MTA’s New Police Officers
September 25, 2019
The MTA has committed to hiring 500 new police officers to address quality of life concerns, but it is necessary to understand this strategy comes at a cost.
Blog
Taxes
Follow the Money
The MTA’s New Revenues
April 05, 2019
The NYS Adopted FY 2020 Budget directs three revenue sources to support the MTA. This blog clarifies what the revenue streams are and how they will flow to the lockbox.
Blog
Pensions & Benefits
A More Flexible Pension Plan
January 25, 2012
Part of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s “Tier VI” proposal to make pension benefits for public employees of New York’s State and local government more affordable and sustainable over the long term is an optional 401(k)-style plan, already used widely in the private sector and becoming more common in the public sector.
Report
Transportation
A Better Way to Pay for the MTA
October 09, 2012
This report builds upon previous research on the issue of how to finance the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, particularly its mass transit services. It updates and revises the findings and recommendations of a 2006 report and seeks to provide guidelines for future budget decisions.
Report
Public Workforce
Reform at the Bargaining Table
Labor’s Participation Needed to Improve the MTA’s Financial Outlook
April 30, 2019
The MTA's fiscal outlook is dire, and improving it requires a multipronged approach. Paramount in the effort is slowing the growth of labor costs.
Blog
City Budget
Less Spending, More Saving
Benchmarks to Assess the NYC Financial Plan
November 13, 2019
Four things the upcoming budget should do to put the city on better financial footing.
Blog
Transportation
Getting the Facts Straight on Metropolitan Transportation Authority Fare Ratios
November 25, 2012
The blog describes the different ways of calculating MTA fare ratios and of comparing the MTA ratios to those of other systems.
Blog
Transportation
Suburban Smiles May Turn to Frowns
September 09, 2012
MTA revenue lost from the payroll mobility tax could be made up in a way that is far more burdensome to suburban commuters.
Report
Public Workforce
MTA-TWU Wage Negotiations
A "Fair Increase" Will Not Increase Fares
January 29, 2012
This report examines the contract negotiations between the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and its largest union, the Transport Workers Union Local 100, and it applies the criteria specified by the Public Employment Relations Board for determining arbitration awards. It finds that the public interest will be served by an agreement that maintains a good standard of living for workers, is within the MTA’s ability to pay, and does not force further harm upon riders.
Blog
State Budget
Pluses Outweigh Minuses in Responsible, On-Time NYS Budget
April 03, 2012
What gets a thumbs up or a thumbs down in the Enacted State Budget for FY2013?
Blog
City Budget
Sound Strategy, Sound Future
Recommended Approach for the City’s Preliminary FY 2020 Budget
February 01, 2019
A thriving economy has allowed the City to increase spending by $20 billion since fiscal year 2014. The City should undertake a necessary course correction with this four-part strategy:
Report
Transportation
Swimming in Subsidies
The High Cost of NYC Ferry
March 28, 2019
NYC Ferry serves more than 4 million passengers at a high level of operating subsidy: $10.73 per ride, 10 times that of the New York City Transit.
Report
Education
Cut Costs, Not Ribbons
Alternatives That Reduce School Crowding
July 09, 2019
Administrative solutions can reduce school crowding and limit the need to build expensive new school buildings.
Blog
City Budget
Why the Latest PEG Is Not Likely to Be the Last in NYC's Budget
December 05, 2012
This blog explains why a savings plan, known as the "PEG" is necessary in the Nov 2013 NYC budget modification, examines the savings, and offers broader perspective on the city's fiscal challenges.
Report
Pensions & Benefits
The First Priority in the New Year – Pension Reform
January 10, 2012
This brief examines pension cost growth in New York State and its effect on the New York's competitiveness. It recommends the adoption of a new tier of pension plans known as the Tier VI Proposal.
Blog
City Budget
PEGging It Right
Guidelines for the PEG Process
March 05, 2019
For the first time since taking office, Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced plans to implement a Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG), which requires agencies to generate savings through expense reductions or revenue enhancements. The de Blasio administration previously eschewed PEGs in favor of Citywide Savings Plans (CSPs); in contrast to the PEG, agency participation in the CSP was voluntary. Pursuing a PEG presents both a challenge and an opportunity. This blog proposes three guidelines for the process: 1) identify significantly more than $750 million in savings, 2) encourage recurring savings through efficiency, and 3) follow agencies’ leads.