Local Government and School Accountability
Fiscal Stress Monitoring
Local governments and school districts face a number of challenges to their fiscal health. The publications below reflect the Division's ongoing effort to highlight these challenges and identify entities that are moving toward, or already in, fiscal stress.
Fiscal Stress Monitoring System [Released 01/28/13]
OSC has developed a public fiscal stress monitoring system that will identify local governments and school districts that are in fiscal stress, as well as those showing susceptibility to fiscal stress. [read complete Fiscal Stress Monitoring report - pdf]
- Local Government Fiscal Stress Profiles - Video
- The Municipal Fiscal Crisis: Comptroller DiNapoli's keynote address at the Public Policy Forum, Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government, April 8, 2013 [pdf]
2013 Fiscal Profile: City of Rochester [Released 03/04/13]
The City of Rochester projects large and growing budget gaps in its 2013-14 through 2017-18 fiscal years. Absent significant spending cuts or increasing revenues, the gaps could cause the City to exhaust its available fund balance within the next two fiscal years. [read complete City of Rochester report - pdf]
2013 Fiscal Profile: City of Syracuse [Released 02/20/13]
The City of Syracuse faces many of the same challenges as other upstate cities. However, a larger than average percentage of its property tax base is either exempt or delinquent and growing fixed costs in the budgets of the City and the dependent school district have created chronic budget gaps. [read complete City of Syracuse report - pdf]
2013 Fiscal Profile: City of Yonkers [Released 02/20/13]
By several measures, Yonkers is better off than many other cities in the State. Despite these advantages, the City has been challenged by significant structural budget gaps and, by the end of its 2011 fiscal year, the City had essentially depleted its general fund reserves. [read complete City of Yonkers report - pdf]
Snapshot: Local Sales Tax Collections Increase by 3.3 Percent in 2012 Signaling Slower Economic Growth in New York [Released 02/14/13]
Sluggish growth in sales tax revenues adds additional pressure to already strained county budgets and to the budgets of other local governments that receive sales tax revenues through sharing agreements. [read complete Local Sales Tax report - pdf] | [read county-by-county data - pdf]
2013 Fiscal Profile: City of Gloversville [Released 02/06/13]
Gloversville faces significant fiscal challenges as it has nearly exhausted its constitutional taxing limit, severely limiting its flexibility to address unforeseen expenses and make ongoing infrastructure investments. [read complete City of Gloversville report - pdf]
2013 Fiscal Profile: City of Utica [Released 01/29/13]
Utica has been in fiscal decline in recent years, relying on non-recurring revenues to fill budget gaps. Its new mayor has vowed to work with the City Council and OSC to ensure that the City remains in control of its own financial future. [read complete City of Utica report - pdf]
Snapshot: Financial Challenges Facing Local Governments: Federal and State Aid Shrink as a Share of Revenues [Released 01/16/13]
From 2001 to 2011, total federal and state aid grew at a rate slower than the rate of inflation. To cover expenses, local governments have been forced to rely more heavily on sales tax and real property tax revenues. [read complete Financial Challenges report - pdf]