Join the Empire Center for a morning of briefings and conversations about New York and its local governments.
Hear from experts about important trends and key policies affecting our towns, cities, villages and counties.
Itinerary:
- New York State Economy & Finances Unraveled with E.J. McMahon (Empire Center)
- NY Property Taxes: Navigating Albany’s Challenges with Ken Girardin (Empire Center)
- Local Government Practitioner Panel with Ari Brown (NYS Assembly), Phil Barrett (Clifton Park), and Mark Grimm (Albany County)
Empire Center’s Policy Academy
A look at the key policy areas that impact local governments.
Wednesday, August 23rd, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Breakfast will begin at 8:30 AM
About the Author
You may also like
ThinkNY: Medicaid Overdose
Join us for our upcoming ThinkNY webinar, where we’ll explore a groundbreaking analysis of New York’s Medicaid program and its growing challenges.
Empire Center Senior Fellow for Health Policy Bill Hammond will walk us through his Read More
ThinkNY Issues on Appeal; Mail-in Voting and Prop 1
Join us for our latest ThinkNY webinar, where we’ll delve into two election-related cases on appeal Read More
ThinkNY: Proposition 1
Join us for our latest ThinkNY webinar, where we’ll delve into Proposition 1, a proposed amendment to the equal protection clause of the state Constitution.
Cam Macdonald will discuss its disputed status on the ballot and how it got here. We’ll als Read More
ThinkNY: Healthcare Taxes
We're excited to welcome back Bill Hammond, Senior Fellow for Health Policy at the Empire Center. With almost three decades of experience in journalism and a deep understanding of New York's healthcare industry, Hammond brings unparalleled insights.
Jo Read More
ThinkNY: Taylor Law
Join us Friday at 11am for our next ThinkNY webinar. This month, we'll dive into the Taylor Law, New York's public-sector collective bargaining law.
The Taylor Law plays a huge role in how state agencies, local governments and school districts operat Read More
Green Guardrails Webinar
Join us for a webinar on Empire Center's latest report, ""
Report author Ken Girardin examines the implementation of New York's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, the sweeping 2019 law that allows state agencies to regulate nearly every p Read More
ThinkNY: Medicaid
Medicaid is a taxpayer-funded safety-net health plan that covers a third of the state's population, and it's one of the costliest and fastest-growing programs in the state budget.
This webinar will give an overview of what Medicaid does, why it's so ex Read More
ThinkNY: NYS Budget Process
For this monthly installment, E.J. McMahon provides insight into the NYS budget process and how we should expect the following months to unfold.
ThinkNY serves as a platform for everyday New Yorkers and key decision-makers to come together for thoughtf Read More
Policy Academy
Join the Empire Center for a morning of briefings and conversations about New York and its local governments.
Hear from experts about important trends and key policies affecting our towns, cities, villages and counties.
Please register for the in-person seminar below.
Empire Center’s Policy Academy
A look at the key policy areas that impact local governments.
Wednesday, August 23rd, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Breakfast will begin at 8:30 AM
About the Author
You may also like
132 NYSLRS Retirees Receive Pensions Over $200K in FY2026
A total of 132 retirees from the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS) were eligible to collect $200,000 or more in pensions during the 2026 fiscal year, according to , the Empire Center’s government transparency website.
Among the 132 Read More
Opinion Poll – Education
Executive Summary
New Yorkers want better educational outcomes, more flexibility for families, and meaningful academic standards, according to new Empire Center poll results.
Voters overwhelmingly believe New York should improve s Read More
Empire Center Poll: Just 4 Percent Approve of New York’s Education System
ALBANY, N.Y. — New Yorkers gave the state’s education system a sweeping vote of no confidence: 47 percent said the state should improve student performance, 41 percent said it should improve performance while spending less, and only 4 Read More
New York’s electricity prices climb to third highest in the U.S.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ALBANY, N.Y. — Empire Center’s shows New York households paid the third-highest residential electricity prices in the country in May 2026, trailing only Hawaii and California.
The latest U.S. Energy Information Administra Read More
Energy Data Bulletin July 2026
July 2026
Summary and Insights
Electricity.
In April 2026, New York’s average residential electricity price was 29.45 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). New York ranked 4th highest among the states (tied with Massachu Read More
Energy Data Bulletin August 2026
August 2026
Summary and Insights
Electricity. In May 2026, New York had the nation's third-highest residential electricity price at 29.93 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), 62.3 percent above the U.S. average. Prices inc Read More
Port Authority Payroll Passes $1.2B as 20 Employees Collect $400k+
Twenty Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) employees collected more than $400,000 each in total pay last year, while average pay agencywide rose three percent, according to , the Empire Center’s government transparency website.
The Por Read More
NYC Employee Pension Payments Rise To $6.2 billion
The pension plan covering most New York city government agencies, including the City’s subway system, had 62 members with pension payments of at least $200,000 last year, according to , the Empire Center’s transparency website.
According to the d Read More