Ahead of a statewide referendum in November 2005, voters throughout New York State voted down a proposed constitutional amendment that would have reduce the budget-making powers of the governor’s office while strengthening the hand of Albany’s legislative leaders. The implications of such a change were explored by distinguished speakers starting with former Governor Hugh L. Carey, one of the most successful and effective chief executives in New York State’s history. Read More
Debate on New York Ballot Proposal One, which would amend the state Constitution to eliminate the existing requirement for state legislators to act on the governor's annual budget Executive Budget before initiating their own appropriation bills. It would provide for an automatic contingency budget, subject to legislative amendment, whenever a new budget is not enacted before the start of a fiscal year. Read More
With a budget shortfall of $12.5 billion projected for 2009-10, New York's state government faces its most significant fiscal crisis in decades. However, this is not just another cyclical downturn. What's left of Wall Street will be significantly leaner, less profitable, and more heavily regulated than the securities industry whose explosive growth fueled the expansion of state spending for much of the past 25 years. The Empire Center and the Center for Governmental Research explored these issues at a policy forum in Albany. Read More
The health care field has, as they say, been very very good to state employees, at least those at the top of the pay scale, according to data out Tuesday from the Empire Center. The fiscally conservative think tank has assembled a list of Top 10 earners and, with the exception of Nano College’s Alain Kaloyeros, they all are at SUNY or CUNY medical centers. State psychiatrists also did well according to the survey. Read More
How much did state workers make in New York in 2013? The Empire Center released its updated state government payroll at SeeThroughNY.net Tuesday, covering more than 287,000 government workers. According to the website, 1,316 state government employees earned more than Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s $179,000 annual salary in 2013. Read More
Twenty-seven* school districts were seeking to override the state's property tax cap in yesterday's school budget votes. Twenty of these districts -- or 74 percent -- failed to collect the needed 60 percent supermajority to pass, according to news accounts. The closest result was in the Cornwall School District in Orange County, which fell two votes short of an override supermajority. Read More
Just two school districts -- out of nearly 700 in New York -- will be limited to the new zero-tax hike contingency budget provision of the state's new property tax cap law next year. Read More
Nineteen school districts that attempted to override the tax cap in last month's school budget votes will present revised budgets to voters tomorrow. Nine of those districts are resubmitting budgets below the cap, seven have budgets at the cap and three districts will try again to override the cap. Read More