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Testimony
City Budget
Testimony on NYC November 2023 Financial Plan
Submitted to the New York City Council Finance Committee
December 11, 2023
The choices made in the coming months will determine whether the City emerges as fiscally stable and competitive or risks both its ability to serve New Yorkers in need and its attractiveness to residents and businesses.
Report
City Budget
PEGs In Perspective
NYC FY 2024 Executive Budget
May 23, 2023
The vast majority of these actions will have no impact on services, thus far providing savings primarily by saving money that would not have been spent anyway.
Blog
Pensions & Benefits
Giving Credit Where It’s Due? New York City’s $1.3 Billion in Health Insurance Savings
December 28, 2014
In its recent mid-year budget modification the de Blasio administration credited a coalition of municipal employee unions with achieving $1.3 billion in savings in the City’s employee and retiree health insurance costs. Yet the unions have not agreed to any changes in the plan, and the City and the unions have taken no actions to reduce costs. How can this be?
Testimony
Housing
Testimony on the New York City Housing Authority and the City's Preliminary Fiscal Year 2024 Budget
New York City Council Committee on Public Housing
March 13, 2023
To balance its budget and fund its basic operations, NYCHA was increasingly reliant on City subsidies and non-recurring funding sources.
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.
Blog
Public Workforce
Three Questions about 1,000 New Police Officers
June 18, 2014
As the New York City budget for fiscal year 2015 nears adoption, one of the more expensive Council initiatives, at an estimated cost of almost $100 million annually, is the hiring of 1,000 new police officers to increase staffing at police precincts.
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
Energy & Environment
New York’s Green Policies
Too Much or Too Little – A Competitive Perspective
April 03, 2011
This report assesses how New York compares to other cities in pursuing green objectives and suggests how New York’s leaders can set priorities for taking additional steps to promote environmental goals in ways that align with goals of economic growth and urban competitiveness.
Op Ed
City Budget
City budget crunch time means tough decisions — not more taxes
New York Post
December 20, 2023
Under every published projection, even after the mayor’s latest Program to Eliminate the Gap, New York City still faces a budget shortfall next year.
Blog
City Budget
Spending In Perspective
NYC FY 2024 Executive Budget
May 23, 2023
While proposed fiscal year 2024 City funds spending declines 2.2 percent from what is currently projected for fiscal year 2023, it is 7.5 percent higher than fiscal year 2022.
Statement
City Budget
Statement on the New York City Fiscal Year 2024 Preliminary Budget
January 12, 2023
Much more aggressive action is needed to stabilize future budgets, hedge against a looming recession, and improve the quality and efficiency of services.
Blog
Pensions & Benefits
School Districts Savings by Following State Practices for Employee Health Insurance
February 01, 2011
Negotiating increases in premium sharing with school employee unions would provide immediate savings and reduce future costs.
Testimony
Education
Testimony on the NYC Department of Education and the City’s FY 2024 Preliminary Budget
Submitted to the New York City Council Committee on Education
March 15, 2023
Understanding the DOE’s budget and spending trends prior to and throughout the pandemic, and the implications for fiscal year 2024 and beyond, is vital to determine how much of the City’s resources should be allocated to the DOE going forward.
Blog
Education
What Is Good for Buffalo Is Good for All of New York
May 01, 2011
Governor Andrew Cuomo is considering a proposal from SUNY-Buffalo to give that university greater autonomy. The proposal deserves support and should be extended to all SUNY schools.
Testimony
Energy & Environment
Testimony on NYC Solid Waste Management Practices
Submitted to NYC Council Committee on Sanitation & Solid Waste Management
October 27, 2011
New York is being wasteful in its waste management practices. We could save tens of millions, perhaps even hundreds of millions, of dollars without harming the environment by more sensibly managing New Yorkers’ solid waste. An improved system for waste collection and disposal could prevent further reductions in essential services in coming budgets.
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
City Budget
7 Facts About the NYC Department of Buildings
April 25, 2023
CBC’s review of the agency’s budget presents trends in spending, revenues, staffing, and outputs.
Report
Education
The Learning Ledger
NYS School Aid Continues to Rise in the 2023-24 School Year
September 06, 2023
New York State’s school aid increases 8.8 percent this year, largely driven by the final year of three-year phase-in of Foundation Aid.
Report
Education
School Spending, Enrollment, and Fiscal Cliffs 101:
The NYC Department of Education Budget Before, During, and After the Pandemic
April 11, 2023
Decisions about the DOE’s budget should consider enrollment declines and the City’s precarious fiscal condition.