E.J. McMahon, head of the Empire Center for Public Policy, a nonprofit Albany think tank that promotes free market principles, questioned whether municipalities will go through the political headaches of consolidating districts in exchange for a short-term, temporary tax freeze. Read More
Shared services, dissolution and mergers remain viable options for taxpayers and elected officials facing challenging fiscal environments and historically high taxes Read More
A challenging fiscal environment and notoriously high property taxes have raised structural and service issues to new levels as communities explore the potential efficiencies to be gained through shared services, dissolution and consolidation. Read More
A distinguished panel of urban scholars and experts gathered in Albany to discuss how upstate cities can resurrect themselves. Read More
A new state-sponsored campaign is promoting New York as "open for business." However, other indicators suggest the Empire State is still hobbled by a heavy tax and regulatroy burden. How have business conditions in New York improved? What further changes are needed to set the stage for an era of sustained long-term economic growth in the Empire State? Our event, "Is New York Competitive," explored these and other important questions to assess New York's outlook. Read More
New York has the nation's largest Medicaid program, serving over 5 million enrollees at a cost of $54 billion annually. But a small percentage of Medicaid patients, with chronic medical and behavioral health diseases account for a disproportionate share of the program's total spending. "Taking Ownership: The Patient's role in Medicaid" profiles some reforms largely overlooked in the state's redesign, healthcare experts from around the state participated in a panel discussion hosted by the Empire Center. Read More
The complete 2013 New York state government payroll is now posted on SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s government spending transparency website. 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