The 421-a property tax exemption is the city’s largest tax expenditure, costing more than $1 billion
in forgone taxes each year. The exemption dates back to the 1970s and is currently up for renewal
in Albany.
IBO used the address of each student attending a New York City public high school in the 2012-2013 school year to identify the census tract in which each student lived and the median household income for households residing in the tract.
Federal Title I-A funds provide assistance to schools and local educational agencies (in New York City, the Department of Education) that serve a large number or share of students from low-income families.
In October 2014, the city’s Human Resources Administration announced a new employment plan for public assistance recipients. The plan, which was already being phased in before the formal announcement, makes the agency’s employment programs less punitive and puts more emphasis on education & training
The city makes an annual payment to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to support the authority’s capital program. NYPIRG’s Straphangers Campaign asked IBO to review the annual contributions to see if they have kept pace with inflation.
In the 2013-2014 school year, approximately 36,000 students took the test to determine their eligibility for a seat in a New York City public school Gifted & Talented program for the 2014-2015 school year.
Over the years 2002-2012, about 60 percent of the more than 75,000 homeless families with children entering the city’s shelter system had either a building with rent regulated apartments (43 percent) or a New York City Housing Authority development (16 percent) listed as their last address.
More than half (51.3 percent) of the state’s lowest income part-time workers—those with incomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level—resided in New York City in 2012
From June 2006 through June 2013, the number of New York City residents receiving food stamps (now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP) increased by 71.1 percent, from 1.1 million to 1.9 million.
Under the recently adopted fiscal year 2015-2019 capital plan for schools, 62 percent of the 32,560 new seats will be completed within the five-year plan period, including projects that had been funded for design but not construction under the previous plan.
Twenty-one percent of the households that moved out of New York City in 2012 moved within New York State—either to the city’s suburbs or further upstate.
Preliminary data for fiscal year 2014 indicate the city received about $41 million in revenue from camera-generated redlight, bus-lane, and now speeding summonses, as well as $14 million in ticket revenue from traffic violations written up by police officers.
In 2002, Mayor Bloomberg urged that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) take over the 82 express and local bus routes (most based in Queens) operated by seven private companies under franchise agreements
that included city subsidies.
Citywide, the average high school student’s commute to school—by subway, bus, or foot—in school year 2011-2012 was estimated to take 32 minutes. In comparison, the commutes for city residents to jobs in the five boroughs averaged 39 minutes in 2012.
While what consitutes a progressive budget is fundamentally a subjective matter, examining the mayor's budget themes of fiscal responsibility and budget honesty fall more directly within IBO's role.
In this report, IBO examines NYC Department of Education human resources data for public school teachers for school years 2000-2001 through 2011-2012. Over this 12 year period the report looks
at data on teachers' age, gender, self-reported race or ethnicity, and experience working in the city's public schools.
An annual rite of spring in NYC has been the often contentious debate over the setting of the rate customers will pay for the city's water and sewer system in the coming fiscal year. Since 1995 the rate has increased
every year, some years by as much as 10 percent or more. The de Blasio Administration recently made its first water rate proposal calling for an increase of 3.35 percent.
This is IBO's review of the Mayor's Preliminary Budget for 2015 and Financial Plan through 2018. The report reflects state issues that are affecting the City budget presented in Mayor de Blasio's plan.
The amount the city budgets each year for snow removal is set by a formula in the City Charter. The formula is the average of spending on snow removal in the five prior years—so the budget for 2014 is based on the actual amounts spent in fiscal years 2008–2012.
To assess whether elementary grade students in charter schools leave their schools any more frequently than students in traditional public schools, IBO examined a cohort of students who
entered kindergarten in September 2008 and followed them through third grade. This involved tracking data on 3,043 students in 53 charter schools and 7,208 students in 116 traditional public
schools nearest to each charter.
When Mayor Bloomberg presented his last budget plan in November, he noted that the city’s full-time and full-time
equivalent headcount had fallen by 15,368 since December 31, 2001. But staffing levels since the end of fiscal year 2002, tell a different story.
Report focuses on the allocation and uses of resources for various competing budget priorities, including the various options available for saving money and raising revenue, as well as the weighed/approximated costs and benefits for each option.
This report details New York State's growth in Medicaid enrollment and spending throughout the 2000 to 2012 period. It analyzes New York City's involvement in this growth and the overall factors behind Medicaid growth in the state.
This presentation answers questions regarding the resources available to high schools, addressing concerns about the availability of course offerings beyond the minimum standard for graduation, the availability of specialized rooms for certain courses and the availability of nonclassroom support services. This was produced at the request of the Ailliance for Quality Education.
Medicaid trends from 2008 through 2012:
+28.6% increase in the average number of service units per child +7.6% increase in the average cost per service unit
Over the past several months the Department of City Planning has outlined its proposed East Midtown rezoning intiative in a series of public reports and presentations.
This Independent Budget Office (IBO) fiscal brief addresses the decreased revenue from City athletic facilities after a fee increase was implemented for their use. Included are data and analyses of the spending trends following the fee increase in various City athletic facilities.
This report summarizes the fare and toll increases implemented by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to accommodate the fiscal health of the city from 1996 to 2013. Given the financial pressures the MTA continues to face, fare increases are likely to continue.
The average time in city jails credited to inmates newly sentenced to state prisons from Bronx courtrooms grew to 15.7 months in 2012, about six months more than the average in the remainder of the city. Lowering this average could save NYC money.
New York State real property tax law establishes the 421-a property tax exemption for the construction of new multifamily housing in the city. This map shows where & what types of buildings receive these breaks.
This updated guide to the New York City Capital Budget by the Independent Budget Office addresses the intricacies and the operations that go behind managing the budget. The document defines the capital budget, its components, and the various resources that contribute to it.
This New York City Independent Budget Office (IBO) report shows the initiatives taken New York City to improve its response to medical emergencies. Analyzed in this report are data and information regarding the costs of having a stronger initiative as well as the improvements made over the time period 1999 to 2011.
Two new federal policies tying Medicare reimbursements to quality of care took effect in October 2012. Hospitals are now penalized for excess readmissions. An additional penalty or bonus can be awarded, based on adherence to clinical standards and ratings on patient surveys.
This New York City Independent Budget Office (IBO) report shows the New York City public school indicators on demographics, resources, and outcomes. This document includes a background on public schools and data on these schools related to diversity and performance.
From an analysis conducted on Mayor Bloomberg's Executive Budget for 2014 and Financial Plan through 2017 for the City, it is projected that the city will end each fiscal year with a surplus. However, the city still faces fiscal issues, with federal funds being cutback and new contracts for employees being developed, which may have a negative impact on the city's expenses.
With this publication, the IBO examines ways that the city could save money or raise revenue, and impartially analyze the pros and cons of each option. An option's inclusion in the volume does not
imply a recommendation, nor does the omission of an idea mean IBO does not consider it viable.
The Bloomberg Administration is now proposing a major rezoning of East Midtown. Concerned that his new initiative would compete with Hudson Yards and slow the revnue growth neededto make
Hudson Yards self-supporting, Council Member Daniel Garodnick asked IBO to review city spending to date on the plan and to consider the short-term outlook for revenues at Hudson Yards.
This New York City Independent Budget Office report examines the allocation of funds to schools through Fair Student Funding. Included in this document is the purpose of the program, its implementation in schools, data relevant to its implementation, and projections for future improvement.
This report by the New York City Independent Budget Office (IBO) shows the reestimate of the Mayor's preliminary budget for 2014 and financial plan through 2017. Included are detailed data on projections for revenues and expenditures, as well as comparisons on forecasts between IBO and the Mayor's Office of Management and Budget.
Over the last decade, the number of city residents receiving food stamps has more than doubled, while
public assistance recipients have decreased and the number of blind and disabled New Yorkers receiving
Supplemental Security Income benefits has remained flat.
A chart showing the change in the population of those using homeless shelters and the funding of shelters from fiscal year 2008 to a projection of fiscal year 2018.
Despite the increased number of jobs in New York City between 2011 and 2012, employment of city residents did not increase, leaving the unemployment rate high and leading to an analysis of these contradictory statistics.
Based on IBO's tax and spending projections under the Mayor's November 2012 Financial Plan, the city faces a budget shortfall of $811 million in the upcoming fiscal year, a relatively modest
1.6 percent of out forecast for city-generated revenues. IBO's projected shortfall for the following year, fiscal year 2015, is $1.7 billion, 3.1 percent of expected city-generated revenues.
Includes IBO Expenditure Projections, IBO Revenue Projections, Pricing Differences Between IBO and the Bloomberg Administration, and IBO versus Mayor's Office of Management and Budget
Economic Forecasts.
The IBO has modeled five scenarios and how each would alter the amount of federal income taxes paid by New Yorkers in 2013. For each of the five possible outcomes considered, IBO estimates how much in income
taxes would flow from the city to the federal treasury as well as how the amounts owed by New Yorkers at various income levels are affected.
This fiscal brief by the New York City Independent Budget Office (IBO) addresses the City's new EarlyLearn program. The brief addresses its purpose, the initiative taken to implement it, and the challenges that face it. Also included are data related to funding and child care enrollment.
This report lists the statistics of the High School Class of 2009, regarding the state mandated regents tests and the number of students who were deemed college ready based on them. This report uses each student's Regents exam results to track their progress towards graduation.
This Fiscal Brief describes the effect of budget cuts on after-school programs for New York City children. Spending on after-school services, such as Out-of-School Time, have decreased, leading to major changes that affect the future of these programs.
Since the 2001-2002 school year, there have been a dramatic increase in graduating students in high school. This article provides information and statistics of those in the Class of 2009 and how they relate to the percentages of dropouts and graduates. It also invesitgates what may be the cause of this increase in graduation rates.
The city's Department of Education typically assesses progress in raising proficiency rates by comparing scores on the state English Language Arts and amath tests of this year's third through eighth
graders with last year's. The IBO sought to identify any shifts in the achievement gap between students of different racial and ethnic backgrounds in the cohort they examined.