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Blog
Pensions & Benefits
Big Decisions Before Albany Do Not Deter Sweeteners
June 09, 2015
Tracking bills enhancing benefits for public employees introduced in the 2015 Legislative Session
Report
Economic Development
Tax Increment Financing: A Primer
December 05, 2017
This report provides an overview of TIF and a five-point checklist drawn from lessons learned from past projects to help identify potential TIF projects.
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.
Report
Pensions & Benefits
Six-Figure Civil Servants
Average Compensation Cost Of New York City Public Employees
January 08, 2009
In fiscal year 2008, the average compensation cost per New York City full-time employee was $106,743; this figure represents a system out of sync with the private sector and an opportunity to limit the growth of the City’s liability in the future while continuing to provide fair and adequate compensation to the City’s employees. Three factors that have driven the growth in compensation among City employees are: 1) Pay increases are directly attributable to contract settlements with unions; 2) More generous terms of the health insurance benefits offered by the City, as compared to the private sector and other state and local governments; and 3) The benefit retirement plans offered by the City that lock in the City’s future payouts to retirees based on the employee’s pay, years of employment and age at retirement among other factors. CBC offers three recommendations in response to these factors.
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?
Report
Economic Development
Bigger Not Better
New York’s Expanding Economic Development Programs
February 18, 2015
Although some modest reforms have been made, many economic development programs have grown significantly without the improvements needed to address widely noted shortcomings.
Report
Economic Development
An Assessment of Performance Reporting by Regional Economic Development Councils
November 29, 2015
This brief assesses the performance of New York State's Regional Economic Development Councils over the past four years and offers recommendations for further improving data collected on projects and on the economic performance of the regions.
Report
Economic Development
Opaque and Duplicative
Local Economic Development in New York State
October 30, 2017
Industrial Development Agencies (IDAs) and Local Development Corporations (LDCs) should be consolidated at the regional level and their reporting requirements strengthened.
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.
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.
Report
Pensions & Benefits
2017 Benefit Sweetener Scorecard
December 07, 2017
The State Legislature passed 26 bills. Click to learn more.
Blog
State Budget
Budget Proposals with a Big Long-Term Payoff
March 16, 2017
The NYS FY2018 Executive Budget includes three proposals to reduce the State’s cost of providing retiree health insurance. Budget savings would be modest, but the reduction in the OPEB liability would be significant.
Blog
Education
Fringe Benefits Pushed New York Education Spending Higher in 2013
June 22, 2015
High levels of school spending in NY largely reflected the relatively high cost of employee compensation.
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
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.
Report
City Budget
NYC Resident Feedback Survey: Community District Results
Reveal Wide "Satisfaction Gap" Between Districts
June 30, 2017
How do New Yorkers feel about quality of life and municipal services? It varies tremendously by community district.
Blog
Pensions & Benefits
Pension Sweetener Scorecard – Disability Benefits Edition
June 01, 2015
Reviews 10 bills introduced to benefit recently hired New York City uniformed employees that are gaining momentum
Blog
Economic Development
Learning from Past Mistakes
Examining Changes to the Excelsior Jobs Program
October 20, 2015
In 2008, CBC called for the elimination of the Empire Zones jobs program amid concerns it wasted public resources. In 2010, New York State replaced Empire Zones with the streamlined Excelsior Jobs Program. Excelsior was designed to avoid the errors of Empire Zones but until recently it has been difficult to assess to what degree it achieves its objectives.
Report
Public Workforce
Twenty Years Later
Integrating Services In The New York City Fire Department
December 09, 2015
The FDNY responds to more more medical emergencies than fires. The department needs a fundamental transformation.
Blog
Economic Development
NY’s Economic Development Programs Costliest in the Nation
April 07, 2017
It's official: NY's economic development programs cost more than in any other state.