The city of Kingston had the lowest average pay for municipal employees at $42,103, according to a report released Thursday by the Empire Center. Read More
Tag: Transparency
Police work, firefighting and health care are among the best-paying occupations in the public sector, according to a survey released on Thursday. Downstate police and firefighter salaries top the municipal list, with many well into the six figures, according to the fifth annual look at local government salaries by Empire Center for Public Policy, an independent non-profit think tank based in Albany. Read More
When Nassau Democratic lawmakers agreed with Republicans last month to borrow $40 million to pay long-overdue tax refunds, both sides declared a victory for bipartisanship. Though it drew little public attention, the county legislature's unanimous vote also included borrowing another $6 million for undefined capital projects and approval of specific improvements in Democratic districts. Read More
A billion dollars is big money in anyone’s book. Especially when those dollars come from you, the taxpayer. That’s how much money the US Railroad Retirement Board says might have been scammed by Long Island Rail Road retirees falsely claiming disability benefits. Read More
The New York Court of Appeals has accepted an appeal from the Empire Center after they were refused access to the names of retired teachers in public pension plans under the Freedom of Information Law. The lower courts agreed with the right of privacy of teacher names. Read More
New York's highest court will soon decide whether the names and benefits of retired teachers in public pension plans should be made public. Read More
GOV. Spitzer and his successor as state attorney general, Andrew Cuomo, both have made some early moves to turn their rhetoric into reality when it comes to expanding the accountability and transparency of government in New York. Read More
Even before it was over, this year's New York state budget process had devolved into a giant step backward for fiscal responsibility, accountability and transparency. Given Albany's already rock-bottom standards in all three areas, this was quite an accomplishment. Read More