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CBC Publications
1992
Establishing
Fiscal Reform in New York State
Volume 59, Number 1, March 1992
This report
reviews the experience during the two fiscal years since passage of
the "fiscal reform" legislation adopted in 1990 that established
the Local Government Assistance Corporation (LGAC), legislation found
to be a failure. The LGAC program is not an effective instrument of
fiscal reform because its goals are far more narrow than the rhetoric
surrounding its creation indicated. To establish a true fiscal reform
program, this report recommends: (1) postpone new LGAC borrowing until
the budget is balanced and use future proceeds to reduce the accumulated
deficit; (2) require balanced budgets; (3) require multi-year financial
plan with quarterly modifications; (4) prohibit growth of the accumulated
deficit; and, (5) enforcement through bond covenants and a constitutional
amendment.
A Plan for State Assumption of
Local Income Maintenance and Medicaid Costs
Volume 59, Number 2, May 1992
Deriving
from a recommendation in the earlier The Fiscal Problem of the
Two New Yorks (Vol. 58, #3) and finding Governor Cuomo's proposal
for State assumption of local Medicaid costs inadequate, this report
presents a detailed new plan for legislative consideration. The main
elements of the plan are: (1) State assumption of local income maintenance
expenditures (absent from the Governor's proposal); (2) State assumption
of local Medicaid costs according to the Governor's timetable but
with accelerated managed care provisions; (3) inclusion of cost-containment
initiatives for Medicaid; (4) funding State assumption by increasing
the State personal income tax; and, (5) reduction in local taxes to
offset locally reduced expenditures.
RELEASE: "Citizens Budget Commission
Statement on Collective Bargaining,"
September 6, 1992
The Commission
used the occasion of Labor Day to review the state of bargaining with
the municipal employee unions. This release documents the background
of the current impasse, including a review of the contracts settled
since the expiration of the fiscal years 1988-90 settlement. Three
recommendations are made: (1) contracts should be negotiated promptly
with all employees, and should run through fiscal year 1994; (2) the
Mayor should stick to his policy of funding wage increases entirely
through productivity improvements; and, (3) any prospective candidates
for mayor should identify productivity measures they believe would
justify pay increases.
CBC Pocket Summary 45th
Edition, October 1992
RELEASE: "Citizens Budget Commission Warns Mayor Dinkins
of Big Budget Hole," December 14, 1992
The Commission
released a letter to Mayor David N. Dinkins warning that estimates
of property tax revenues in the City's four-year financial plan were
too high, leaving a shortfall over the next three years of between
$810 million and $1.4 billion. This argument is based on the contention
that billable assessed value has not accurately reflected the downturn
in the real estate market, especially in Manhattan commercial property.
Recent growth in delinquencies, challenges to assessments, and vacancy
rates, and decreases in commercial rents, are pointed to as evidence
of the severity of the real estate depression.
1991
Reforming
Residential Rent Regulations
Volume 58, Number 1, February 1991
This report
presents the results of an extensive study of New York City's system
of residential rent regulation. The report concludes that upper-income
New Yorkers are the primary beneficiaries of rent regulations, not
the less-affluent. Furthermore, the report points out that rent regulation
robs the City of property tax revenue. The report recommends ending
rent subsidies for wealthier renters and decontrolling apartments
as they become vacant; these measures would produce a more equitable
system, as well as providing $80-$100 million in additional revenue
to the City.
Managing the Department of Parks and Recreation
in a Period of Fiscal Stress
View the report
Volume 58, Number 2, March 1991
This report
represents one of the most comprehensive studies of the City's Parks
Department. Beginning with an historical retrospective of the Department's
development, the report examines its maintenance and operations through
an analysis of the capital and operating budgets. The report found
that the Parks Department has suffered a steady loss of resources--both
fiscal and human--and is bound to suffer more with the cuts implemented
to close the current enormous budget gaps. As a result, one of the
largest municipal parks systems in the country may be subject to de
facto triage.
The Fiscal Problem of the Two New Yorks:
Size, Nature and Possible Solutions
Volume 58, Number 3, May 1991
(OUT OF PRINT--reproductions available)
This "white
paper" estimates huge combined budget gaps for the State and
City of New York in each of the next four years, gaps that will not
be closed by a national economic recovery. The report recommends cooperative
State-City actions taken within a framework of a jointly prepared,
multi-year financial plan, and identifies five strategies for designing
this new financial plan: realign State and local tax burdens; employ
a smaller and more productive workforce; reduce subsidies for those
who are not poor; control health care spending; and, impose new and
more effective taxes.
CBC Pocket Summary
44th Edition, October 1991
Restructuring New York City's Finances Conference,
December 6-7, 1991
(Conference booklet containing papers
prepared for the conference
individual papers available)
Following
up on the publication of The Fiscal Problem of the Two New Yorks,
the Commission convened a conference to discuss four working papers
elaborating on some of the options identified in that report.
"Introduction and Overview"
This introductory
paper describes briefly the nature of the fiscal difficulties confronting
the City, setting the context in which the earlier report was written
and in which this conference was conducted. It also summarizes the
other three papers prepared for the conference.
"The Great New York Swapstakes:
Options for State Assumption of Medicaid Costs"
This paper
examines the issue of State government assuming the cost to local
governments of the Medicaid program. The Commission's proposal is
compared with the one put forth by Governor Mario Cuomo in five respects:
scope; extent of redistribution; degree of local flexibility; timing;
and, cost containment.
"When the Freeze Thaws: Options for Property Tax Reform"
This paper
begins by stressing that Mayor Dinkins' tax "freeze" is
not structural reform. The fundamental problem with the City's property
tax is not high rates, but the inequitable rate structure; the tax
bills on small residential properties are subsidized at the expense
of other properties. Three broad approaches are identified for reform:
(1) a revenue neutral approach that shifts the burden of only the
current property tax; (2) a revenue neutral approach that also shifts
the burden of the commercial rent tax; and, (3) an approach that focuses
on raising new revenue and shifting the property tax burden. It is
found that the most important consequence of any reform would be to
raise the effective rate on small residential property owners.
"Managing the City's Human Resources More Productively"
In light
of the attention focused on reducing the size of the City's workforce,
this paper considers the best methods for achieving a reduction. Two
strategies are identified: (1) achieve greater patrol strength in
the Police Department through better management, rather than by the
planned expansion; (2) alter the across-the-board approach to headcount
reduction, and instead adopt a targeted attrition program. This paper
also recommends that the City and the municipal employee unions engage
in productivity bargaining.
1990
The
State of the Uniformed Services: Recommendations for Improved Performance
Volume 57, Number 1, January 1990
This next
volume in the CBC's continuing series on municipal services examines
New York City's "uniformed" services: Police, Fire, Sanitation
and Correction. The need for improved municipal productivity is clear
in light of looming budget gaps in fiscal years 1990 and 1991. This
report evaluates performance in these four departments, and provides
23 specific recommendations to improve productivity. Among the recommendations
are the introduction of one-man refuse collection trucks and one-officer
patrol cars, construction of the Brooklyn Navy Yard incinerator, and
repealing the two-platoon law for the Fire Department.
CBC Quarterly,
Volume 10, Number 1, Winter 1990
This issue
presents the proceedings of the Setting Municipal Priorities Conference,
held on December 8-9, 1989. The conference was held in conjunction
with the release of Setting Municipal Priorities, 1990, the
ninth in a series of books devoted to examining the policy issues
of greatest concern to the future of New York City. The proceedings
of four panels of leading academicians, elected officials, public
servants and civic leaders (entitled "Fiscal Outlook," "Planning
and Infrastructure," "Social and Health Service," and
"Race and Employment") and two plenary sessions featuring
four elected City officials and the newly-elected mayor, David N.
Dinkins, are presented. Also included is a summary of the eleven chapters
presented in the book.
CBC Quarterly,
Volume 10, Number 2, Spring 1990
The lead
article of this issue updates an earlier Quarterly article
(Vol. 8, No. 4) examining the New York City Campaign Finance Act to
include data from the 1989 municipal elections. The discussion of
campaign finance in New York City is preceded by an analysis of the
development of campaign finance reform in the United States and in
New York State. The interview is with the Rev. Joseph A. O'Hare, S.J.,
Chairman of the New York City Campaign Finance Board.
RELEASE: "Citizens Budget Commission
Urges City Officials
to Trim Spending $200 Million and Drop Counterproductive Taxes,"
June 26, 1990
A downturn
in the local economy occasioned the Commission's call for three changes
in the fiscal year 1991 budget: (1) incorporate relatively painless
curbs in expenditures, such as productivity gainsharing agreements
with municipal employees; (2) defer some of the planned expansion
of the municipal workforce; and, (3) avoid large and potentially harmful
new taxes, such as income, sales and user taxes, and rely instead
on property taxes on small residential properties.
Toward a Responsible Municipal Wage Policy:
Guidelines for the 1990 Round of Bargaining
Volume 57, Number 2, July 1990
(OUT OF PRINT--reproductions available)
The next
installment in the CBC's series of overviews of municipal collective
bargaining comes as the City begins to negotiate new contracts with
its employees. The criteria for bargaining--cost-of-living, pay comparability,
and the public interest--are discussed, and applied to the history
of New York City collective bargaining. The result is recommendations
to break with the usual bargaining customs of pay parity and pattern
bargaining and to grant wage increases substantially below the rate
of inflation to slow the growth in real pay. This report received
the Governmental Research Association's 1991 Award for Most Effective
Presentation of Research.
CBC Quarterly,
Volume 10, Number 3, Summer 1990
(FINAL ISSUE)
This issue
excerpts a report by the New York State Financial Control Board on
New York City's financial plan for fiscal years 1991-94. The report
followed hard on the heels of a difficult budget adoption process
in which a record $800 million tax increase was approved. Also included
is an interview with Allen Proctor, Executive Director of the Control
Board.
Toward an Affordable Capital Program
Volume 57, Number 3, September 1990
(OUT OF PRINT--reproductions available)
The CBC's
continuing examination of the City's capital program turns to look
at the City's ability to pay for it. The report reveals that City
debt service costs are skyrocketing and recommends that they be reduced
in three fashions: refunding of debt issued at interest rates above
those currently available; passing State legislation allowing the
City to issue variable rate and zero coupon bonds; and, reducing the
current capital program by one-fifth.
CBC
Pocket Summary
43rd Edition, September 1990
(OUT OF PRINT--copy available on request)
1989
New
York State's Road to Fiscal Soundness:
The Detours and Guidelines for a Return
Volume 56, Number 1, January 1989
This report
analyzes how New York State has veered from "a path of solid
fiscal reform," to a road fraught with large deficits and excessive
borrowing to meet cash needs. An examination of the causes of these
financial problems, and of the State's policy responses, leads to
a set of guidelines for financial recovery.
Future Shocks to New York Conference
January 24, 1989
(Conference booklet containing papers
prepared for the conference;
individual papers as priced below)
With support
from the NYNEX Foundation, the Commission sought to identify obstacles
to continued economic growth in the city. The following papers were
commissioned to study five potential "future shocks."
"Introduction"
The origins
of the Future Shocks Project are described in this paper, setting
the tone for an overview of the five papers commissioned for the conference.
"The Future of New York as a Financial Center:
Charting a Course Through Cross-Currents"
This study
addresses the question of how well the city's financiers will compete
in a business characterized by ever-increasing globalization, continuation
of a trend toward securitization of financial assets, and more competition
from bankers in other American cities. It considers the future competitiveness
of the city's banking and finance industry, and the city's ability
to provide or attract a sufficient workforce and to maintain a competitive
cost structure.
"The Information Industries: New York's
New Export Base"
This study
begins by estimating that approximately 40 percent of the city's jobs
and 50 percent of its payroll result from the information economy;
for Manhattan alone, the respective numbers are over 50 percent and
60 percent. It documents two significant occurrences: (1) the decline
of the city as a location for corporate headquarters; and, (2) the
software boom in New York City and its linkage to business, publishing
and computing services.
"New York and the Forces of Immigration"
This study
shows that the city's population size and density grew during the
1980s relative to the rest of the New York region and to other major
American cities; more than one-seventh of the 4.5 million immigrants
admitted to this country between 1979 and 1986 chose to reside in
New York City. As a result, the share of city residents who are foreign
born grew from 24 percent in 1980 to 36 percent in 1987; by the year
2000, this ratio will grow to 56 percent. This study also predicts
an unprecedented scale and diversity of immigration in the city's
future.
"Internal Constraints and the Consequence for the Future of New
York City's Economy"
This study
examines local supplies of labor, housing and transportation, and
the effect they will have on the viability of the city's economy.
It points out that the New York region is experiencing an unprecedented
labor shortage. The current housing shortage and high housing costs
exacerbate difficulties in attracting labor. The transportation infrastructure,
already in need of extensive rehabilitation, also needs to be expanded
to meet future needs. This study predicts that the decade of economic
growth will come to a halt unless this "triple threat" is
addressed.
"Solid Waste Management:
A Challenge for New York City"
The city's
landfills are being filled rapidly, and no disposal alternatives are
yet in place. This situation raises the specter of exporting garbage,
an extraordinarily expensive prospect. This paper evaluates three
possible scenarios. In each case, available landfill space will be
exhausted shortly after the turn of the century, and the cost of exporting
trash will range from $1 billion to $3 billion annually by the year
2010.
A
Review of the New York City Ten-Year Capital Plan
Volume 56, Number 2, February 1989
The Ten-Year
Capital Plan released by New York City in May 1988 is its largest
ever--$57 billion. This report reviews the contents of the Plan, raising
four significant issues: affordability; implementation; adequacy;
and, prioritization of capital projects. The report suggests areas
where the City's Plan falls short of the need, as well as areas where
the City may be overspending.
The State of Municipal Services:
Hospital and Social Services Between 1983 and 1988
Volume 56, Number 3, February 1989
(OUT OF PRINT--reproductions available)
In its
continuing series of reports on municipal services, the CBC looks
at the Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) and the Human Resources
Administration (HRA). The report focuses on three issues: spending;
volume and workload; and, quality. The result is an evaluation of
the services provided to New Yorkers by HHC and HRA.
Review of the City of New York's 1990 Preliminary
Budget
Volume 56, Number 4, March 1989
The City
of New York's Preliminary Budget for fiscal year 1990 indicates a
gap of $496 million dollars; an additional $443 shortfall is estimated
for fiscal years 1989 and 1990 if certain cost-cutting measures are
enacted by the State of New York. This report examines the nature
of the budget and its expected gap, as well as dissects Mayor Koch's
proposed actions to close the gap. The report also contains a set
of suggested measures on the part of the City and State to close the
deficit.
CBC Quarterly,
Volume 9, Number 1, Winter 1989
Excerpts
of the proceedings of the Future Shocks to the New York Conference
are presented in this issue of the Quarterly. The Future Shocks
project examined four potential problem areas for the future of the
City: solid waste disposal; threats to financial services and information
industries; immigration; and, shortages in housing, labor and transportation.
The remarks of leading politicians, academicians and businessmen on
these four issues make up the bulk of this issue, as well as the remarks
from a plenary session with Mayor Edward I. Koch, Board of Education
President Robert F. Wagner, Jr., and Port Authority of New York and
New Jersey Executive Director Stephen Berger.
CBC Quarterly,
Volume 9, Number 2, Spring/Summer 1989
This issue
of the Quarterly is devoted to the proceedings of a forum hosted by
the CBC for the purpose of eliciting responses to fiscal and service
delivery issues from the candidates for mayor of New York. The forum
was attended by David N. Dinkins, Borough President of Manhattan;
Harrison J. Goldin, City Comptroller; Richard Ravitch, former chairman
of the Charter Revision Commission, and former head of both the MTA
and the Urban Development Corporation; and, Ronald S. Lauder, former
ambassador to Austria.
CBC Pocket Summary
(OUT OF PRINT--copy available on request)
42nd Edition, September 1989
Toward
Greater Accountability for the Implementation of Capital Projects
Volume 56, Number 5, November 1989
This report
presents the results of an inquiry into the nature of municipal capital
project implementation. Two critical findings emerge: First, the City
of New York lacks adequate information on the status of its capital
program; second, the limited available information indicates significant
delays in project implementation. The extent and nature of delays
are examined for 342 projects initiated since fiscal year 1983 and
scheduled for completion by June 30, 1989. Recommendations are made
for the resolution of the causes of capital project delays.
CBC Quarterly,
Volume 9, Numbers 3 & 4, Fall 1989
This issue
of the Quarterly presents an article examining the state of property
taxes in New York City. A brief history of property taxes in the city
is related as prelude to an in-depth review of the current plight
of the property tax system. City property tax policy, statutory limitations,
and the structure of the system are highlighted as the major causes
of a very inequitable distribution of the tax burden among different
types of property. The article concludes with a look at the City's
tax dilemma in 1989, and the steps taken (or not taken) to remedy
the problem. This issue also includes an interview with Edward L.
Sadowsky, City Council Member from 1961 to 1985, a member of the Board
of Education, and chairman of the New York City Tax Study Commission.
RELEASE: "Citizens Budget Commission
Urges State to Stop Tax Cuts,"
December 13, 1989
The Commission
expressed its concern over the poor financial condition of the State
of New York by making three recommendations: (1) raise additional
revenues by rescinding the scheduled reduction in personal income
tax rates; (2) devote a significant portion of those revenues to eliminating
the accumulated deficit; and, (3) curb spending in fiscal year 1991
and subsequent years.
1988
CBC
Quarterly,
Volume 8, Number 1, Winter 1988
This issue
of the Quarterly deals with the economy of New York City. The
lead article discusses the emergence of new risks to the City's economy
and states that recent events signal a transition for future economic
development. Two other articles lay out different scenarios for the
economic future of the City. Also included is an interview with Alair
Townsend, NYC Deputy Mayor for Finance and Development.
Implementing
Capital Projects
Volume 55, Number 1, March 1988
This report
analyzes the implementation of the 209 projects initiated in the Capital
Budget since fiscal year 1983 which were planned for completion no
later than July 1987, and suggests three major reforms to facilitate
timely completion of capital projects.
RELEASE: "Statement on New York
City Charter Reform,"
April 13, 1988
The Commission
urges the Charter Revision Commission to proceed with plans to put
Charter changes before the voters in November 1988, despite a U.S.
Supreme Court announcement to review the constitutionality of the
Board of Estimate. Regardless of the ultimate findings of the Court,
there are other issues that need to be addressed, including governmental
integrity, accountability of public officials, and separation of powers
among the branches of City government.
CBC Quarterly,
Volume 8, Number 2, Spring 1988
This issue
features a lead article that discusses the adopted State budget for
fiscal year 1989 and Governor Mario M. Cuomo's priorities as indicated
by six-year trends in the budget. John J. Marchi, Chairman of the
NYS Senate Finance Committee is interviewed in this issue. The final
article assesses State spending for Human Services in the Cuomo years.
The State of Municipal Services: The Uniformed
Services Between 1983 and 1987
Volume 55, Number 2, April 1988
This report
analyzes the performance of the departments of Sanitation, Fire, Police
and Correction. The report provides citizens with information on how
their elected officials are "doing" in managing the delivery
of municipal services, identifies problems in municipal service management
and recommends changes that would result in more effective services.
CBC Quarterly
Volume 8, Number 3, Summer 1988
The lead
article in this issue deals with the fiscal implications of AIDS in
New York City. The interview in this issue is with Peter Vallone,
Majority Leader of the New York City Council. Also included is an
article analyzing the latest New York City budget.
CBC
Pocket Summary
41st Edition, October 1988
(OUT OF PRINT--copy available on request)
New York City's Housing Crisis:
Public Spending and Its Results, 1984-1987
Volume 55, Number 3, September 1988
This report
updates New York City's Housing Crisis: What Has Government Spent?
published in December 1987, by including expenditures through fiscal
year 1987. Also it provides information on the "output"
of housing programs in terms of households or housing units receiving
assistance under each program.
CBC Quarterly,
Volume 8, Number 4, Fall 1988
The focus
of this issue is the New York City Campaign Finance Act, enacted in
February 1988. The lead article discusses the history of federal and
State campaign finance reform, and the Act's potential efficacy for
the 1989 elections. This issue's "Exchange" features an
interview with Frank J. Mauro, Director of Research for the New York
City Charter Revision Commission.
1987
The
City of New York's 1988 Preliminary Budget
Volume 54, Number 1, March 1987
This report
analyzes Mayor Edward I. Koch's Preliminary Executive Budget for fiscal
year 1988: the first budget presentation since 1975 with full budgetary
authority restored to the City. Despite some reservations, the report
concludes that the proposal is a sensible budget.
CBC Quarterly,
Volume 7, Number 1, Winter 1987
The special
relationship between New York City and State was the focus of a major
research project conducted jointly between the CBC and the Nelson
A. Rockefeller Institute of Government. Sixteen study papers were
prepared on a gamut of issues between city and state: economic and
demographic trends; legal and political forces; and, division of functional
responsibilities. The study papers were then discussed at a conference
held at Arden House on February 13-14. This issue summarizes the study
papers and highlights the conference proceedings.
Improving
the Operating Budget Process of the City of New York
Volume 54, Number 2, May 1987
(OUT OF PRINT--reproductions available)
This report
examines the extent of regulating controls over the City's budget
that remain following the official "sunset" of the State
Financial Control Board, targets four areas for reform, and analyzes
the Preliminary Executive Budget released by the Mayor in January
1987, as the first budget presentation made since full budgetary authority
was restored to the City.
CBC Quarterly,
Volume 7, Number 2, Spring 1987
This issue
features a lead article on New York City's budget process following
the official "sunset" of the State Financial Control Board.
The article is adapted from a report issued in May 1987. Also included
is an interview with Ruth Messinger, a member of the New York City
Council. The final article discusses the adopted State budget for
fiscal year 1988, and how it differs from the Executive Budget proposed
by Governor Cuomo in January.
CBC Pocket Summary
40th Edition, September 1987
(OUT OF PRINT--copy available on request)
Toward A Responsible Municipal Wage Policy:
The 1988 Round of Collective Bargaining
Volume 54, Number 3, August 1987
This report
recommends a wage policy for the 1988 round of collective bargaining
between the City of New York and municipal employee unions representing
approximately 250,000 workers, and evaluates the August 1987 settlement
between the City and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
CBC Quarterly,
Volume 7, Number 3, Summer 1987
This issue
of the Quarterly is devoted to the topic of the Board of Estimate
in New York City, which has emerged as a central concern of the Charter
Revision Commission. The issue contains a summary analysis of the
history of the Board of Estimate, and statements by Edward Costikyan,
Gerald E. Harper, David N. Dinkins, Alan Rothstein, Edward L. Sadowsky,
Martin Shefter and Roger Starr considering the various issues involving
the structure and the function of the Board.
CBC Quarterly,
Volume 7, Number 4, Fall 1987
This issue
deals with the topic of education. The lead article discusses the
problem of school dropouts. A second article deals with a program
established by the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation to encourage minority
students to seek careers in the health professions. A third article
sets forth the agenda for the next school Chancellor. Also included
is an interview with former Chancellor Frank Macchiarola. Volume 54,
Number 4, December 1987
New York City's Housing Crisis:
What Has Government Spent?
This report
examines the scope and magnitude of public expenditures on housing
in New York City. The period observed is 1984 to 1986. All of the
major housing programs for each level of government are included in
this comprehensive analysis of the City's housing efforts.
For
past CBC publications, please see the following:
[1975-1986]
Click
here to order copies of publications
(all publications are free)
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by regular mail to:
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Budget Commission
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New York, NY 10119
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