LETTER: The city’s public schools are set to open next week (9/21/2020) with more than the usual number of teachers and the need for many safeguards. Council Member Mark Treyger asked us what this will cost.
NYC BY THE NUMBERS: Following an investigation into health care in the city’s jails, in 2015 Mayor de Blasio shifted responsibility for providing health care in the jails from private firms to the city’s public hospital system. Despite a shrinking jail population, the cost of care has increased.
NYC BY THE NUMBERS: Small businesses are an essential part of the New York City economy. Which industries have the most small businesses—and how much do they pay on average?
While 421-a Affordable New York has expired, talks on the future of the city’s largest tax expenditure continue. IBO examined how many affordable units it created since its start through June 2021, what incomes they serve, and how many received other subsidies.
In a series of charts and graphs, IBO compares enrollment changes during the first full school year impacted by the pandemic (20-21) with the second school year that just ended (21-22). We explore the different trends among the city’s traditional public schools and its charter schools.
To calculate a commercial property’s value for tax purposes, the city uses what is known as a “capitalized income approach.” IBO examines this method, focusing on a key part of the calculation and investigates how overestimation of these rates leads to inequitable property assessments.
ACS's contracts with nonprofit agencies to provide foster care services to children who cannot remain safely in their homes. The city is in the process of rebidding those contracts, with new ones set to begin next fiscal year. In this brief, IBO explores the changes expected under the new contracts.
The New York City Housing Authority regularly passes its five-year operating budget with funding gaps, which in last year’s plan exceeded $300 million in most years. IBO examines changes in NYCHA’s budget, including the subsidies the city provides to NYCHA, and looks at challenges ahead.
Sidewalk sheds can feel as ubiquitous on NYC streets as hurried commuters & wandering tourists. They provide an important function protecting pedestrians from falling building debris, but they also block light & crowd sidewalks. IBO examines how the number of sidewalk sheds changed over times.
A report on the agency's efforts during the previous quarter to implement the plan adopted pursuant to paragraph 19 (annual plan) of Section 815(a), including details of agency's efforts to implement equal employment practices, including statistical information regarding total employment, including provisional, seasonal, per-diem and part-time employees, new hiring and promotions in a manner which facilitates understanding of an agency's efforts to provide fair and effective equal opportunity employment for minority group members, women and members of other groups who are employed by, or who seek employment with, city agencies.
A report on the agency's efforts during the previous quarter to implement the plan adopted pursuant to paragraph 19 (annual plan) of Section 815(a), including details of agency's efforts to implement equal employment practices, including statistical information regarding total employment, including provisional, seasonal, per-diem and part-time employees, new hiring and promotions in a manner which facilitates understanding of an agency's efforts to provide fair and effective equal opportunity employment for minority group members, women and members of other groups who are employed by, or who seek employment with, city agencies.
A report on the agency's efforts during the previous quarter to implement the plan adopted pursuant to paragraph 19 (annual plan) of Section 815(a), including details of agency's efforts to implement equal employment practices, including statistical information regarding total employment, including provisional, seasonal, per-diem and part-time employees, new hiring and promotions in a manner which facilitates understanding of an agency's efforts to provide fair and effective equal opportunity employment for minority group members, women and members of other groups who are employed by, or who seek employment with, city agencies.
A report on the agency's efforts during the previous quarter to implement the plan adopted pursuant to paragraph 19 (annual plan) of Section 815(a), including details of agency's efforts to implement equal employment practices, including statistical information regarding total employment, including provisional, seasonal, per-diem and part-time employees, new hiring and promotions in a manner which facilitates understanding of an agency's efforts to provide fair and effective equal opportunity employment for minority group members, women and members of other groups who are employed by, or who seek employment with, city agencies.
In SY 2014-15 the NYC DOE centralized its kindergarten admissions process to make it more equitable. IBO analyzes how the centralized process works and how its outcomes compare for students of different demographics.
Kindergarteners attending public school in NYC must apply through DOE’s centralized kindergarten choice process. While most students apply to zoned school, they can also apply to out-of-zone schools. School performance is likely a factor in a family’s decision to apply out-of-zone.
Memorandum: Audit: Review, Evaluation, and Monitoring of Sexual Harassment Prevention and Response Practices
New York City Independent Budget Office from the New York City Equal Employment Practices Commission
After 25 years of service, including more than 20 years as its director, Ronnie Lowenstein will retire from the IBO later this month. George Sweeting, IBO’s deputy director will become acting director. IBO congratulates Ronnie on her retirement & is grateful for her many years of service.
New York City By the Numbers: IBO has updated the fiscal history section of our website with new data on New Yorkers’ income and personal income tax liability. The new data, the most recent available, covers the 2019 tax year. See some highlights from our updated tables.
With manufacturing jobs in New York City declining, the New York City Industrial Development Agency, under the Giuliani Administration, created the Industrial Program in 1995. This report looks at the evolution and effectiveness of the program.
Through NYC's “Schoolyards to Playgrounds” program, the public can access some school playgrounds & yards during non-school hours. At the request of CM Gale Brewer, IBO examined how many school buildings are currently participating in the program & the cost to add those that aren't.
Much has been discussed about growth in city spending for Carter Cases—when students with disabilities are enrolled in private schools & parents seek tuition payment. In FY22, it topped $900M. We examine Carter Case spending & what the costs include.
IBO examines the demographic differences at each step of the gifted admissions process when the test was still in place—for students entering kindergarten in the 2018-2019 school year.
Over the past few months IBO participated as a non-voting observer on a task force to provide independent information and analysis. As part of that process, IBO simulated the fiscal impact of the task force’s top five recommendations. This presentation provides the results of those simulations.
IBO’s testimony provides an update on how much the city has claimed of these funds through the end of fiscal year 2022, how much is currently budgeted for spending, and how much remains to be added to the city’s budget in upcoming financial plans.
The FDNY coordinates ambulance response to the about one million medical emergencies reported over the 911 system in the city each year. About a quarter of those emergencies are ALS, incidents involving heart attacks and other very serious conditions. IBO analyzes response times of these units.
In addition to the federal Covid-19 relief funds allocated to NYCs traditional public schools through the DOE, the city’s charter schools also received their own federal aid to help ease the impacts of the pandemic. IBO explores how much aid NYC’s roughly 300 charter schools received.
A report on the agency's efforts during the previous quarter to implement the plan adopted pursuant to paragraph 19 (annual plan) of Section 815(a), including details of agency's efforts to implement equal employment practices, including statistical information regarding total employment, including provisional, seasonal, per-diem and part-time employees, new hiring and promotions in a manner which facilitates understanding of an agency's efforts to provide fair and effective equal opportunity employment for minority group members, women and members of other groups who are employed by, or who seek employment with, city agencies.
A new IBO analysis shows that the last time spending for the Parks Department was close to one percent of the City budget—a baseline sought by advocates—was 1977. In recent years, Parks spending is less than 0.6 percent of the total budget.
The New York City Independent Budget Office released a new video series( it developed to enable students, parents, and advocates to navigate New York City public school budgets.
The Independent Budget Office examined Cultural Development Fund (CDF) awards made by the Department of Cultural Affairs for fiscal years 2019 through 2023 and identified award amounts by fiscal year and borough.
With thousands of asylum seekers arriving in New York City, an IBO report tracks the distribution of $26.7 million in Project Open Arms education funds and looks at NYC Schools language acquisition programs for children.
An Independent Budget Office analysis says that costs of assisting asylum seekers will be between $600 million and 1.7 billion less than the Executive Budget projection for fiscal years 2023 and 2024.
At the request of Council Member Chi Ossé, the IBO estimated the annual cost of introducing fare-free local bus service in New York City under three scenarios: waive bus fares for all riders, riders who are 65 or older or who have disabilities, and New Yorkers who are low income.
In this report, IBO explores the potential roadblocks to the Trust’s success, and its benefits and risks, as well as other operational reforms contained in NYCHA’s greater reform plan, A Blueprint for Change.
A report on the agency's efforts during the previous quarter to implement the plan adopted pursuant to paragraph 19 (annual plan) of Section 815(a), including details of agency's efforts to implement equal employment practices, including statistical information regarding total employment, including provisional, seasonal, per-diem and part-time employees, new hiring and promotions in a manner which facilitates understanding of an agency's efforts to provide fair and effective equal opportunity employment for minority group members, women and members of other groups who are employed by, or who seek employment with, city agencies.
IBO has compiled a descriptive overview of the financing deals and public subsidies for Madison Square Garden and the three most recently constructed major league sports stadiums within New York City: Yankee Stadium, Citi Field, and Barclays Center.
IBO calculated how much the city is owed in unpaid balances. IBO examined three primary sources of unpaid balances: parking and camera-generated violations, lienable property charges, and penalties adjudicated by the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings that were incurred in CYs 2017-2022.