Pensions push school tax cap to 4.6%
Research Bulletin
April 30, 2013
Tax levy limit of 4.6 percent is more than double the statutory cap and well above last year's average of 3 percent. Tax limit will be highest in poorest districts.
Legislative Expenditures Posted to SeeThroughNY
SeeThroughNY
April 9, 2013
Updated legislative expenditures for the New York State Legislature were posted today at SeeThroughNY.net.
State Payroll Updated on SeeThroughNY
SeeThroughNY
January 30, 2013
The 2012 state government payroll, which includes pay received by 291,364 people who worked in the state's executive, legislative, or judicial branches, was posted today.
Explore Your State Budget
SeeThroughNY
January 25, 2013
The new "Explore Your State Budget" app provides New Yorkers with the ability to instantly access, browse through and download financial details of the state budget.
Public Authority Payroll Updated on SeeThroughNY
SeeThroughNY
January 18, 2013
Payroll data for 62,545 employees of New York State public authorities were posted today at www.SeeThroughNY.net
Report says localities need long-term budget plans
Empire Ideas
January 16, 2013
The second in our Empire Ideas series explains why counties, municipalities and school districts should embarce multi-year financial planning.
Patient Incentives Would Improve NY Medicaid
New Report
December 5, 2012
New York State can save money and improve health outcomes in its $54 billion Medicaid program by giving patients more incentive to "take ownership" of their own healthcare.
Teacher and School Employee Payroll Updated on SeeThroughNY
SeeThroughNY
November 13, 2012
Earnings for 366,640 employees of New York State school districts outside New York City were posted at www.SeeThroughNY.net.
What They Make: 2011-12 County and Municipal Payrolls in NYS
SeeThroughNY
October 16, 2012
Payroll data for 165,554 city, county, town, and village government employees, outside of New York City, is now available on SeeThroughNY.net
Updated Legislative Spending Posted on SeeThroughNY
SeeThroughNY
October 11, 2012
New York's State Legislature spent $102 million during the six-month period ending last March, according to the latest legislative data posted on SeeThroughNY.
Government Retiree health Care Pricetag Hits $250 Billion in NY
Special Report
September 5, 2012
New York's public-sector employees have been promised $250 billion in post-retirement health benefits that the state and its local governments have set aside no money to pay for, according to updated figures released today. These obligations have increased by $45 billion since the Empire Center first reported on them in 2010.
The Graying of the Empire State: Parts of NY Grow Older Faster
Research Bulletin
August 16, 2012
The movement of people in and out of New York over the past two decades, including the combined effects of foreign immigration and domestic migration, has produced significant changes in the Empire State's age profile.
Six-Figure Pensions for 1 in 10 Cops, Firefighters Retired in 2011
SeeThroughNY
June 11, 2012
Updated pension benefit data for 367,806 retired New York state and local government employees was posted today on SeeThroughNY.
Per-pupil school taxes under cap, spending under inflation in most of NY, study finds
Special Report
May 3, 2012
Most New York school districts are proposing to hold their per-pupil tax levies within the levels permitted by a new statewide property tax cap, and the average proposed per-pupil spending increase is at or below the projected inflation rate in six out of nine regions of the state, according to an analysis issued today by the Empire Center for New York State Policy.
Making Work Pay in New York
Policy Briefing
April 18, 2012
Low-income workers in New York receive over $4.6 billion annually in wage supplements from the federal, state and NYC EITC. But this large investment, reaching over 1.6 million New York households, is mostly overlooked in debates about whether to increase the state minimum wage, in official measures of poverty, and in discussions about New York's tax fairness. This paper explores the history and impact of the EITC, studies its tax impact on working poor families and compares its effectiveness to the minimum wage in combatting poverty.
NY Teachers Want Retirement Choice
Poll
February 14, 2012
POLL: Seventy-one percent of New York's public school teachers support giving new teachers a choice between a defined-contribution and defined-benefit retirement plan.
Optimal Option: SUNY's personal retirement plan could be a model for state
Special Report
February 16, 2012
Pension reform in New York could draw from the best features of the SUNY and CUNY plans and best practices that have been working for nearly 50 years, according to Optimal Option, the Empire Center's newest report.
New Report Spotlights "Trouble With Triborough"
Special Report
January 11, 2012
How an abscure state law guarantees pay hikes for government employees - and raises the tax toll on New Yorkers.
Center Files Motion For Leave To Appeal in FOIL Lawsuit
Press Release
December 15, 2011
The Center has asked the state's highest court to review and appellate decision that would shield public information from public view.
New York City Payroll Updated on SeeThroughNY
SeeThroughNY
December 6, 2011
Payroll data for 394,443 individuals who were employed by the New York City government during 2010 were posted today at SeeThroughNY.net.
New York State's Property Tax Cap: A Citizens' Guide
Special Report
November 30, 2011
This booklet lays out the basics of the tax cap and answers some common questions about how the cap will work.
360 School Labor Contracts Updated on SeeThroughNY
SeeThroughNY
November 21, 2011
Updated school labor contracts for 139 teacher unions and 221 school superintendents were posted today at SeeThroughNY.
Teacher and school employee pay updated on SeeThroughNY
SeeThroughNY
November 3, 2011
Payroll records for 373,971 teachers and school employees were updated today at SeeThroughNY.
Updated Legislative Spending Posted on Internet
SeeThroughNY
October 11, 2011
New York's State Legislature spent $105 million during the six-month period ending last March, according to the latest legislative expenditure data posted at SeeThroughNY.
New York City Fire Department Retirees Added to SeeThroughNY
SeeThroughNY
October 6, 2011
The names and pension benefit rates of more than 16,000 New York City Fire Department retirees were added to SeeThroughNY today.
2010-11 NYS County, Municipal Payrolls Posted on Revamped SeeThroughNY
SeeThroughNY
October 4, 2011
Updated salaries for 168,748 people who worked for New York's city, county, town and village governments were posted on the newly revamped SeeThroughNY today.
Outward Bound New Yorkers: Where They Went, 2000-09
Research Bulletin
September 26, 2011
Florida remained the single most popular destination for taxpayers leaving New York between 2000 and 2009, but the pace of moves to the Sunshine State dropped sharply after the recession began later in the decade, according to "Outward Bound New Yorkers."
More Retirees With $100,000 Allowances
SeeThroughNY
September 8, 2011
Updated pension benefit data for 352,771 retired New York state and local government employees has been posted at www.SeeThroughNY.net.
Empire State's Half-Century Exodus: A Population Migration Overview
Research Bulletin
August 2, 2011
Since 1960, New York has lost 7.3 million residents to the rest of the country, according to "Empire State's Half-Century Exodus," the first in a series of papers examining population trends in the Empire State.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority payroll updated on SeeThroughNY
SeeThroughNY
July 12, 2011
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority payroll has been updated on SeeThroughNY. The Payroll includes records for the agency's 73,919 employees.
Port Authority of NY & NJ Updated on SeeThroughNY
SeeThroughNY
June 29, 2011
Payroll records for the 7,345 employees of the Port Authority of NY & NJ were updated today on SeeThroughNY.
Educators' Pensions Posted Online
SeeThroughNY
May 18, 2011
Pension benefit data for 136,644 retired school teachers and administrators has been updated on SeeThroughNY.
Property Taxes Across New York Ranked By Empire Center
Release
May 12, 2011
With New Yorkers perparing to vote on school budget propositions next Tuesday, the Empire Center today released an Internet-based tool allowing taxpayers to computer and compare total school district, municipal and county tax burdens in thousands of communities across the state.
School Budget Spotlight
Special Report
April 29, 2011
Upstate school districts are showing more fiscal retraint than their downstate counterparts in proposed 2011-12 school budgets, according to an analysis issued today by the Empire Center for New York State Policy.
Debating Public Pensions
Debate
April 15, 2011
E.J. McMahon of the Empire Center and former Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, now a senior fellow at Demos, squared off on the subject last night on YNN's Capital Tonight with Liz Benjamin. The clip is here.
State Payroll Updated on SeeThroughNY.net
SeeThroughNY
March 17, 2011
Payroll records for the 273,983 state government employees, who worked for the state in 2010, were released today.
Proactive Disclosure's Time Has Come
Model Legislation
March 16, 2011
"Proactive disclosure" of public information on the Internet is the next logical step in the evolution of government transparency. Model legislation released today would make it possible.
Updated Legislative Spending Posted Online
SeeThroughNY
March 8, 2011
New York's State Legislature spent $114 million during the six-month period ending last September, according to the latest legislative expenditure data posted at SeeThroughNY.
Report Finds Long-Term Care Is Too Costly
Report
March 3, 2011
The cost of financing long-term care (LTC) through Medicaid is on track to become “a crippling burden” for New York State unless steps are taken to reform the program, a report issued today by the Empire Center for New York State Policy warns.
Property Tax Cap Justified, Report Finds
Report
March 1, 2011
Gov. Cuomo's proposed cap on property taxes is justified in light of New York State's exceptionally heavy property tax burden, according to "The Case for a Cap," a new report released today.
Mandate Relief and Property Tax Cap Are Interdependent
Press Release
February 17, 2011
Mandate relief priorities to help local governments and school districts cope with failing revenues and a proposed tax cap were outlined today in state Senate testimony by E.J. McMahon, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute's Empire Center for New York State Policy.
NYC Council Pork is Latest Addition to SeeThroughNY
Press Release
February 8, 2011
New York City Council pork-barrel member-item spending for fiscal 2011 has been posted on SeeThroughNY. The $54.4 million in discretionary member items represent projects sponsored by City Council members.
Legal Battle For Public Access Heats Up
Press Release
January 31, 2011
The Empire Center is appealing a court ruling that would allow the New York City Police Pension Fund to conceal the names of more than 44,000 retired officers now receiving pension benefits from the fund.
How Big Would Your Public Pension Be?
Special Report
December 9, 2010
State and local government employees in New York can retire early with generous, guaranteed pensions — a benefit most private-sector workers can only dream of.
On the heels of our bombshell report, "New York's Exploding Pension Costs," we have posted an online calculator that will allow you to estimate the pension you'd collect after a career as a general employee of New York State or local government -- and how much you'd need to save on your own to replicate that pension income. The calculator is featured on www.NYPensionBomb.org, a new Empire Center web page dedicated to the pension issue.
Pension Costs Poised To Explode, Report Finds
Special Report
December 7, 2010
Taxpayer-funded employer contributions to public pensions in New York State will rise by billions of dollars in the next few years, threatening to divert scarce resources from other essential public services in the midst of a fiscal crisis, according to a new Empire Center report, "New York's Exploding Pension Costs."
Teacher and School Employee Salaries Updated on SeeThroughNY
SeeThroughNY.net
November 10, 2010
A searchable online database of earnings for 402,896 employees of New York State school districts outside New York City was posted today at www.SeeThroughNY.net, the transparency website sponsored by the Empire Center for New York State Policy.
"EnterprisingNY" Data Updated
Research Bulletin
October 25, 2010
The Empire Center for New York State Policy today released a revised and updated version of its recent report, "EnterprisingNY," which reviews key economic trends based on figures from an exclusive New York State version of the National Establishment Time-Series (NETS) database. The re-issued report provides statewide and regional summaries of job creation trends from 1993 through 2008, including new NETS data for 2008. It incorporates corrections to some data featured in the original report.
New York firms moved at least 393,280 jobs to other states between 1993 and 2008, while only 272,172 jobs moved into the state, according to the revised and updated report. New York's net loss of at least 120,000 jobs due to migration of firms was the third largest of any state during that period; only Maine and West Virginia exported more jobs through the migration of home-grown establishments.
Iceberg Ahead: The Hidden Cost of Public-Sector Retiree Health Benefits in New York
Special Report
October 13, 2010
New York's public-sector employees have been promised $205 billion in post-retirement health benefits that the state and its local governments have set aside no money to pay for, according to a report released today by the Empire Center for New York State Policy.
The report-entitled "Iceberg Ahead: The Hidden Cost of Public-Sector Retiree Health Benefits in New York" - provides the first statewide survey of unfunded retiree health care liabilities for New York State and its largest counties, cities, towns, villages and school districts.
New York City Pension Data Posted Online
SeeThroughNY.net
October 6, 2010
A searchable database of pension benefits for 203,474 retired New York City government employees was posted today on SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s government transparency web site.
SeeThroughNY Posts 189 Updated School Labor Contracts
SeeThroughNY.net
September 15, 2010
Updated school labor contracts for 77 teacher unions and 112 school superintendents were posted today on www.SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s government transparency web site. The newest contracts are part of the most comprehensive public collection of school district labor contracts in New York. Contracts for the 733 school districts and BOCES districts were obtained under the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL). A number of FOIL requests for updated contracts are pending.
Updated Legislative Spending Posted on Internet
SeeThroughNY.net
September 8, 2010
Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada (D-Bronx), spent $880,201 on his legislative office operations and staff in the most recent six-month period reported by the Legislature -- nearly $273,000 more than former Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno (R-Brunswick) spent during a comparable period in 2008. Espada’s office expenditures and those of other Senators and Assembly members for the six months ending March 31, 2010, was posted today as part of a searchable database on the Empire Center’s government transparency website, SeeThroughNY.net.
New York's 21st Century Job Slump
Research Bulletin
September 3, 2010
This has been a lost decade for employment in New York State, where the total number of payroll jobs is now below the 2000 level. The Empire State’s job drop has been concentrated in the private sector. As of July, New York’s private firms employed 122,000 fewer people than they had in July 2000, and 247,900 fewer than in 2008.
Local Government Employee Pay 2009-10
SeeThroughNY.net
August 26, 2010
The names and salaries of 186,223 people who worked for New York’s county, city, town and village governments in 2009-10 today were posted in a searchable database at www.SeeThroughNY.net, the transparency website sponsored by the Manhattan Institute’s Empire Center for New York State Policy.
New York City Payroll for 2009 Posted on Internet
SeeThroughNY.net
July 29, 2010
New Yorkers can now search for the names, titles, base salaries and total wages of 409,878 individuals who were employed by the New York City government during 2009 at www.SeeThroughNY.net, the transparency website sponsored by the Empire Center for New York State Policy, a project of Manhattan Institute.
The Man Who Saved New York
Op-Ed, New York Post
July 25, 2010
Former Gov. Hugh L. Carey is the Harry Truman of New York state — a political figure who left office in disrepute, only to have his stature rise in later decades. Just as Truman’s reputation was burnished by delayed appreciation for his Cold War leadership, Carey’s rehabilitation reflects a growing recognition of his role in tackling the near collapse of New York City’s finances 35 years ago.
NY's War On Golden Geese
Op-Ed, New York Post
July 15, 2010
Gov. Paterson has withdrawn his support from a proposal to raise $50 million in taxes from partners in New York-based hedge funds who live in other states. His revised position on the tax became official Tuesday, when he excluded it from a new revenue-raising bill he sent up to the Legislature -- which promptly refused to accept it.
The Empire State's Stimulus Addiction
Op-Ed, Wall Street Journal
July 2, 2010
After weeks of tumult and parliamentary maneuvering—including Gov. David Paterson's threat of a government shutdown that would bring "unimaginable chaos" and "anarchy in the streets"—New York finally has a state budget for the fiscal year that began April 1.
Disclose Public Records on Internet, Center Urges
Testimony, New York City Council
June 21, 2010
New York City and other government entitites should begin to “proactively” disclose payrolls, expenditure information and other public records on the Internet, according to testimony before the City Council today by Tim Hoefer, operations director of the Manhattan Institute’s Empire Center for New York State Policy.
