Reports

Local government sales tax collections in New York State totaled $22.1 billion in calendar year 2022, up 12.7%, or $2.5 billion, from 2021 due to strong sales statewide, especially in New York City.

Last year the New York State Thruway Authority proposed a multi-year schedule of toll increases to begin in 2024. This report provides a summary of the Thruway Authority’s current and forecasted revenue and expenses, factors that have impacted its finances over the past several years, the toll increase proposal, and considerations to help guide the assessment of the proposal.

New York has one of the nation’s highest debt levels, largely because measures to restrict the excessive use of debt have been circumvented over the years in State budgets. This report identifies policy and fiscal weaknesses that have allowed State debt to grow to troubling levels and offers a roadmap for State debt reform to improve debt affordability and protect New York’s fiscal health.

This snapshot highlights the FSMS results for school districts that reported for school fiscal year (SY) 2021-22, which ended on June 30, 2022.  Fewer school districts were scored in fiscal stress in this year than any other year since the System’s inception largely due to increases in State aid and temporary federal aid.

The Corporate Governance Program supports and facilitates the integration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in the Common Retirement Fund’s due diligence process, investment decisions, and performance monitoring program, and provides active stewardship of the Fund’s public equity holdings.

The Office of the State Comptroller received 18,605 contract transactions, including both new contracts and contract amendments, valued at $173 billion in the calendar year 2021. The average time from agency contract submission to final sign-off was 5.3 days.

A look back at some of the major accomplishments of the Office of the New York State Comptroller in 2022, including building on the State pension fund's $20 billion in climate solutions investments, investing an additional $350 million in New York State businesses, uncovering $5.4 billion in cost savings through audits of critical programs, returning $400 million in lost money to rightful owners, and more.

This report provides the public detailed information about State and local public authorities and makes recommendations to improve transparency and eliminate use of backdoor borrowing and debt gimmicks that seek to weaken or circumvent debt limits.

Also see State Public Authorities Dashboard

New York City’s fiscal year (FY) 2023 budget is projected to rise to $109.4, after transfers, but City finances could come under pressure amid a slowing economic recovery and an increase in demand for City services. For the upcoming FY 2024 preliminary budget, State Comptroller DiNapoli urges the City to provide a realistic and transparent view of the City’s revenue and expenses and take actions to close out-year gaps while maintaining critical services.

Local sales tax collections in New York state increased by 8.8% in November compared to the same month in 2021. Overall, local collections totaled $1.72 billion, up $139 million compared to the same time last year.

Regional Table [.xlsx]

More than two years after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, young people are still facing double-digit unemployment. There are currently over 70,000 unemployed young workers in the City, nearly two times as many as in 2019. Young men are struggling the most with nearly 24% remaining unemployed, significantly higher than in the rest of New York State and the nation.

New York had the 13^th highest poverty rate among states in 2021, and has surpassed the national average since 2014. These rates have been persistently higher among some groups, including children; New Yorkers of color, and those with less than a high school education. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted an expansion of the safety net by the federal government that effectively reduced poverty, and some parts of that should be continued. State government should also ensure resources are equitably targeted and a cross-agency focus is maintained to alleviate poverty in a sustained manner.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has long faced difficulties closing projected budget gaps, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic, necessitating an unprecedented level of federal funding to maintain service operations. The MTA had been previously encouraged to examine cost and revenue efficiencies but those alone are unlikely to close the more than $2.5 billion annual gap that will remain when federal pandemic relief is exhausted in 2025, forcing the MTA to lay out savings and revenue options for its stakeholders to consider.

New York’s labor force is one of the nation’s largest, but it decreased by 1% between 2011 and 2021 while the rest of the nation increased by 5.1%. DiNapoli’s report assess the pandemic's impact and long-term trends in the workforce, including by age, education level, race and ethnicity, disability, and unionization status. While New York’s labor force is large, diverse and well-educated, attention should be paid to its underlying structure to attract and retain workers.

Local sales tax collections in New York state increased by 14.1% in October compared to the same month in 2021. Overall, local collections totaled $1.75 billion, up $217 million compared to the same time last year.

Regional Table [.xlsx]

New York’s "Big Five" school districts in New York City, Yonkers, Buffalo, Syracuse and Rochester received $8.6 billion in federal pandemic relief funds, but there are sizeable differences in how school districts are using the funds. New York City has directed a smaller share of its total allocation toward addressing the academic impacts of the pandemic. The City, and all districts, can improve reporting linking educational outcomes for all of its students with their use of these historic federal education funds.

Attrition outpaces hiring among New York City’s municipal workforce, which could have an impact on critical City services and programs. The City’s full-time workforce declined by 19,113 employees over the last two years, the largest decline in staffing since the Great Recession of 2008. Despite the City hiring over 40,000 new employees in the last fiscal year, City job vacancies stand at more than 21,000.

The Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) prepares this report as part of the “Quick Start” process established in State Finance Law. The report includes revenue and spending projections through SFY 2024-25.

Drug overdose fatalities surged during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York State, with opioid-related overdose deaths increasing by 68% to nearly 5,000 individuals from 2019 to 2021. The surge is largely due to a sharp increase in deaths from opioids related to illicit fentanyl and similar synthetic opioids. This report outlines long-term trends and recent developments in the battle to save lives from being lost prematurely to substance use disorder.

Ten years ago, Superstorm Sandy made landfall in New York, causing catastrophic devastation to Long Island and New York City. One of the key organizations involved in the recovery and the planning of responses to future climate events is the MTA, whose assets were substantially impacted by the storm. This analysis tracks MTA’s progress on projects focused on rebuilding and strengthening elements affected by Superstorm Sandy and discusses what more can be done to better protect the system from new disasters.