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Report
State Budget
Public Authorities in New York State
April 03, 2006
New York State’s extensive reliance on authorities has given rise to four significant problems: 1) Misuse of the power to incur debt; 2) Insufficient oversight and coordination of project revenue backed and private conduit borrowing; 3) Insufficient reporting to support accountability; and 4) Insufficient independence in governance. Each problem is explained more fully in this report, along with five strategies to address them.
Report
Economic Development
Overhauling the New York Power Authority's Economic Development Programs
September 22, 2009
This report focuses on the numerous subsidized power programs for economic development run by the New York Power Authority. It is the second in a series, the intent of which is to identify ways that New York's current tools can be used more effectively.
Report
Capital Spending
Three Ways to Improve the Port Authority's Capital Plan
February 16, 2017
Despite an increase in transparency and accountability, the updated plan remains deficient in three important ways.
Report
Pensions & Benefits
8 Things New Yorkers Should Know About Public Retirement Benefits in New York State
October 19, 2010
This report presents eight facts about retirement benefits for New York State and local employees intended to stimulate a substantive discourse on pursuing changes to prevent underfunding of the pension systems and to make retirement benefits more fair and affordable.
Report
State Budget
Lump Sum Warning
$14.8 Billion in Proposed State FY 2024 Discretionary Lump Sum Spending Authority Invites Waste and Corruption
March 31, 2023
The State’s resources should be allocated transparently and based on clearly articulated priorities, quantified assessments of needs, and the likely evidence-driven benefits of the spending.
Report
Capital Spending
What New Yorkers Can and Cannot Learn from the Ten-Year Capital Strategy
May 23, 2017
The Ten-Year Capital Strategy has shortcomings that undermine the public’s ability to hold leaders accountable as good stewards of the City’s infrastructure and capital dollars.
Report
Pensions & Benefits
2018 Benefit Sweetener Scorecard
May 18, 2018
The balance of this year's legislative session will be devoted to moving bills through the legislative process, including proposals to enhance the benefits of State and local public employees and retirees.
Report
Pensions & Benefits
2018 Benefit Sweetener Scorecard
April 12, 2018
With negotiations completed and a State Budget enacted, the balance of this year’s legislative session will be devoted to moving bills through the legislative process, including proposals to enhance the benefits of State and local public employees and retirees.
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.
Report
Capital Spending
Slow Build
Creating a More Cost-Efficient Capital Construction Process for Cultural Organizations and Libraries in New York City
April 10, 2017
How long does it take to renovate a public library or expand museum space? CBC & CUF investigate.
Report
State Budget
Accounting (and More) for a Better Budget
Strategies to Improve New York State Budgeting and Fiscal Management
December 20, 2022
It is critically important that the State’s budget and fiscal management processes be improved to enable better decision-making, outcomes, and accountability.
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?
Report
Economic Development
It's Time to End New York State's Empire Zone Program
December 02, 2008
The Economic Development Zone program has become a vehicle for giving tax breaks to a variety of corporations with no clear, consistent, verifiable justification for the public investment. This report describes the benefits enjoyed by participating firms and how those benefits are distributed among economic regions of the State and types of firms; identifies and elaborates on the three serious problems that compromise the program’s efficacy; and asserts that the Empire Zone program cannot be fixed, citing past failures to do so, and should end.
Report
Education
Lessons From Other States
November 29, 2004
CBC conducted case studies of seven states (Kentucky, New Hampshire, Vermont, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, and Michigan) that have faced legal challenges to their public school financing systems. The analysis considers the following questions: 1) How long did it take and why? 2) How much did it cost, and where did the money come from? 3) What were the results in terms of finance outcomes? 4) What new strings where put on the money? 5) What were the results in terms of educational outcomes?
Report
State Budget
Review of New York State Fiscal Year 2009-2010 Budget
April 30, 2009
The CBC reviews and assesses the 9 bills that comprise the FY 2009-10 New York State Budget. The key points of this assessment include: 1) Spending remains high and few cuts were achieved; 2) no concessions were agreed to by public employee unions; 3) Large tax and fee increases help support the enlarged spending; 4) Temporary federal stimulus aid is relied upon to sustain recurring spending commitments, creating a risk of large future budget gaps; and 5) a few positive steps were taken to reduce wasteful or poorly targeted programs.
Report
Economic Development
Determining an Appropriate Buffalo Stadium Subsidy
Don't Just Wing It
March 21, 2022
New York does not have a good track record of demonstrating that its economic development programs yield benefits exceeding their costs.
Report
Transportation
Switching Gears
A New Way to Fund Transportation
May 08, 2019
The new congestion pricing fee serves the dual goals of raising revenue and reducing traffic congestion; however, the measure is not a complete solution to the State’s need for transportation funding.
Report
Health Care
Six Things to Know About New York State Health Care Reform Act (HCRA) Taxes
March 05, 2020
As lawmakers negotiate this year’s budget, they should review HCRA’s role in health care funding and its impact upon privately insured New Yorkers.
Report
Housing
NYCHA Capital
What You Need to Know
December 20, 2017
Part 1 of our analysis reviews NYCHA's capital needs and spending patterns over the last 5 years.
Report
State Budget
Balancing Act
Alternatives that Balance the NYS Budget without Raising Income Taxes
February 10, 2021
There are better alternatives to balance the State Budget and improve the State’s fiscal outlook.