The first quarter update to New York State's 2009-10 financial plan will be released by the Governor's sometime this week. The plan is expected to reflect the potential for a significant deficit this year, and worsening budget shortfalls in the Read More
Earlier this week, Streetsblog had of a House bill that would allow regional transit agencies such as New York's MTA to spend up to 30 percent of their federal grants on operating costs. Under current law, federal money goes toward capital investm Read More
New York scores a mediocre number 36 on Based on 40 measures of competitiveness grouped into 10 categories, the Empire State ranked dead last in "Cost of Business" and "Workforce," the latter apparently weighted heavily by New York's high unionizatio Read More
From of New York City's 2010 Financial Plan, a chart of actual spending growth from 2001 through 2008, and projected growth through 2013. Read More
In a debate yesterday, Brooklyn City Councilman David Yassky was the only one of four candidates for city comptroller to say that Albany should consider legislating a less generous pension tier for public-sector workers even without union support of Read More
Between fiscal years 2002 and 2007, New York City's tax revenues increased by 74 percent, to $37.8 billion (really, see ).* A new by Washington's Government Accountability Office (GAO) helps show why. Read More
The net flow of funds from New York State to Washington was a famous obsession of the late , who collaborated on an (nicknamed "The Fisc") to track the numbers. Today, the federal government issued its annual accounting of one side of that ledge Read More
Over the weekend, a powerful healthcare workers' union to wage and retiree pay concessions and double-digit percentage changes to pension benefits for future workers. Why the union cooperation? The union members' employers aren't state or city ent Read More
Gov. Paterson has a that would have weakened oversight power of the Buffalo Fiscal Stabilization Authority. As the Buffalo News , this was the second legislative attempt in the past year to remove the city from "hard" control status, w Read More
Detroit's school system may soon follow GM and Chrysler into bankruptcy -- and it may be only the first of many such public-sector insolvencies around the country. Some experts say the Detroit case could be the first in a string of Ch Read More
Under , "university employees are facing unpaid furloughs." They would join California's 230,000-plus state workers who will continue to be forced to take off three unpaid days per month through June 2010. The furloughs equate to roug Read More
The global financial industry will look different in the future. As governments rethink regulations and companies figure out new business models, the scramble is already on in New York (via Washington), London, and Europe (via Brussels) for which Read More