Unlike most of upstate New York, Jefferson County is gaining residents. "Jefferson County was one of just nine counties in upstate New York that had a higher population in 2015 than it did in 2010," said Ken Girardin, policy analyst with the Empire Center for Public Policy. Read More
“The only way the state could support the capital plan would be to borrow money, and it can’t borrow because it’s too close to its debit limit – but the MTA is not,” said E.J. McMahon, president of the Empire Center for Public Policy. Read More
Metro-North overtime was up 10 percent in 2015, according to figures from the Empire Center for Public Policy. Read More
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s employee overtime spending rose by $84 million, or 11 percent, last year, according to a report by The Empire Center for Public Policy, an Albany based think tank. Read More
When the embarrassment of unpaid contractors working on the SolarCity project hit the headlines last week, the Cuomo administration turned to a quick and ready source of money to remedy the $82.4 million problem: SAM. Read More
Tim Hoefer talks about the need for transparency in public policy, especially as it relates to pork spending in the NYS budget. Read More
"I think the narrative has gone askew as we talk about what to do about this," said Tim Hoefer, executive director of the government watchdog Empire Center for Public Policy. "We are one of the states with the highest property taxes in the nation, and the cost drivers are partially at the local level, but they're also driven by mandates from the states that aren't paid for." Read More
A bill devised by Assemblyman Jim Tedisco, R-Glenville, sets new standards for the disclosure of state budget discretionary funds and how they will be spent. Read More