Search
Showing 1 - 20 of 454
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.
Blog
Capital Spending
An Update on Port Authority Budget Reform
July 22, 2014
How far has the Port Authority come on improving its budget process, long-term financial viability, and accountability to the public?
Report
Transportation
Benchmarking Efficiency for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Services
April 05, 2011
This report helps identify priorities for ongoing efforts to control costs at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority through benchmarking by comparing unit cost measures with other large urban transit agencies in the United States. It also suggests priorities for new efficiency initiatives.
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
City Budget
$1.1 Billion in NYC Public Leases
Better Management Needed to Control Rising Costs
August 27, 2019
NYC spent more than $1.1 billion to lease space for public facilities and offices—an amount that has grown 40 percent since fiscal year 2014.
Blog
Public Workforce
The Public and Private Sector Wage Disparity: An Update
May 24, 2010
The labor market case for more generous retirement benefits for public sector workers is no longer valid.
Report
Public Workforce
A Comparative Analysis of the Pay of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Officers
December 02, 2012
This brief compares the wages of Port Authority police officers with those of the largest state and local police forces in the region, as well as a federal agency. The major finding of the report is that Port Authority police officers are paid more generously than other agencies in the analysis.
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.
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
City Budget
How the Pandemic Has Affected NYC’s Public Services, Activities, and Residents
A Close Examination of the MMR and 311 Data
October 20, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic’s impacts extend beyond public health, the economy, and the public fisc to the services needed by and provided to New Yorkers.
Report
Pensions & Benefits
The Case for Redesigning Retirement Benefits for New York's Public Employees
April 29, 2005
This report presents recommendations for redesigning the retirement benefits – health insurance and pension payments – for employees of the City of New York and State of New York. It includes a description of current benefits and a comparison to benefits provided by other large private and public employers.
Blog
Pensions & Benefits
A Reasonable Proposal: Sharing More of the Cost of Public Sector Pensions with Employees
February 15, 2012
Increasing the employee contribution rate for public pensions in New York State is not unreasonable. Comparisons with nationwide norms show proposal would move New York toward the middle of the pack among states.
Blog
Energy & Environment
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Wins the 2012 CBC Prize for Public Service Innovation
February 06, 2012
The Citizens Budget Commission is pleased to announce the winner of its 2012 CBC Prize for Public Service Innovation is the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
Blog
City Budget
Authority for NYC to Borrow for Operating Expenses Should Be Provided Only with Strict Conditions and Oversight
September 08, 2020
The City should not borrow now for the FY21 budget. Borrowing should be a last resort, and may be reasonable only if revenues deteriorate substantially from current projections.
Report
Using Collective Bargaining to Improve Public Education: Recommendations for the 2000 Negotiations With the United Federation of Teachers
August 30, 2000
This report on the contract between the Board of Education and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) provides suggestions for how to improve public schools through collective bargaining.
Blog
Education
New York Tops the List in State Public School Spending
June 03, 2013
In 2011 per pupil education spending nationwide fell 0.4%. In New York, however, per pupil spending increased 2.5% from $18,618 to $19,076, fully 81% above the national average and placing it at the top of the spending list for all 50 states.
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
Housing
Cleaning House
How to Close the New York City Housing Authority's Operating Gaps
April 29, 2015
This report identifies the reasons for NYCHA's operating deficits in the last decade - insufficent operating subsidies, low rent collections, low nonrental income and high operating costs - and offers recommendations to increase revenues, curb expenses and improve productivity in order to eliminate NYCHA's projected $150 million deficit and improve conditions for its residents.
Blog
Public Workforce
The Growth of NYC Employee Headcount
Time to Reduce the Size of the Public Workforce
May 18, 2020
NYC budget documents don't show a plan to shrink the workforce, which reached an all-time high, during this recession. That should change.
Blog
Capital Spending
Don't Block Design-Build
March 15, 2015
New York State's trial with design-build has produced convincing results that merit permanently authorizing and extending design-build authority as a first key step in modernizing the State’s approach to public projects.