Reports

The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the State of New York for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019.

On any given day, millions of New Yorkers ride the subway or drive on public roads; public school buildings and facilities on college campuses open their doors to students across the State; essential services are provided at water plants, other environmental facilities and in homes for developmentally disabled individuals and psychiatric centers; individuals reside in publicly-supported housing; and citizens enjoy the outdoors at public parks.

The integral role of farming in New York State’s history, economy and quality of life is effectively enshrined in Article XIV of the State Constitution.

New York State’s Constitutional Tax Limit (CTL) restricts the amounts local governments may raise by taxing real estate in any fiscal year. All cities, counties and villages must comply. Overall, relatively few municipalities are dangerously close to their CTL; however, the number has been increasing in recent years. For these communities, the CTL poses a serious constraint on their ability to generate revenue. This report, using data through 2018, examines recent trends in the proximity of cities (excluding New York City), counties and villages to the CTL and focuses in more detail on those for whom the CTL poses the biggest budgeting challenge.

Parents, educators, the public and State policymakers agree that student safety must be a top priority in every school. This report summarizes some of the information reported by New York’s public school districts on violent and disruptive incidents and expenditures on school building security materials and equipment, and includes a series of regional profiles.

New York City is currently experiencing the largest and longest job expansion in the post– World War II period. Since 2009, the City has added 820,400 jobs, bringing employment to a record level of 4.55 million in 2018 and reducing the annual unemployment rate to 4.1 percent, the lowest on record.

The New York City subway system, which is used by more than 5 million riders each weekday, includes 472 stations. The system is operated by New York City Transit (NYCT), an affiliate of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Over the past 37 years, 287 stations have been renovated and countless others have had components repaired, at a cost of more than $6 billion.

Local sales tax collections for the first half of 2019 totaled $8.8 billion in New York State. Collections grew by 3.4 percent and 3.2 percent in the first and second quarters, respectively, over the same periods in 2018. This moderate pace is closer to those seen in most of 2017 than to the stronger early quarters of 2018.

Nonprofit organizations, large and small, provide a multitude of services throughout New York State. Many nonprofits deliver essential services on behalf of the State and other governmental entities, including health care, social welfare, care for the disabled, education and more. 

In January 2018, OSC initiated its series of audits to determine whether the MTA and constituent agencies have appropriate oversight and monitoring controls over homeless outreach services on MTA properties and whether they have met the goal of maintaining a safe, secure transit environment by assisting homeless individuals to appropriate shelters off MTA properties.

New York State continues to benefit from a historically long national economic expansion, now extending a full decade. The Division of the Budget (DOB) projects healthy growth in tax receipts and federal aid for the current fiscal year.

The New York State Common Retirement Fund continues to build on its efforts to integrate sustainability concepts into its investment strategy

As Comptroller of New York State and Trustee of the Common Retirement Fund (CRF), I am deeply concerned about the impact of climate change on the Fund’s investments, as well as its impact on the economy as whole.

After almost a full decade of U.S. economic expansion, too many New Yorkers still face real challenges making ends meet. One clear sign of this troubling reality is the millions of renters and homeowners in our State who struggle with high housing costs.

Of the total contracts, 2,149 (47 percent) were processed after their start or renewal dates. This is a reduction from 2017, when 54 percent were reported late. This continues a decline in the percentage of late contracts from the five-year high of 77 percent in 2014.

The New York State Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) Asset Management and Financial Institution Strategy (Chapter 171, Laws of 2010) was enacted to codify and replicate best practices for providing MWBEs that are asset managers, investment banks and financial and professional service providers with the opportunity to offer services to fiduciary-controlled entities established by New York State law.

The Office of the State Comptroller received 19,651 contract transactions, including both new contracts and contract amendments, valued at $70.87 billion in the 2018 calendar year. The average time from agency contract submission to final sign-off was 6.3 days.

On April 25, the Mayor released his executive budget for fiscal year (FY) 2020 and the associated financial plan (the “April Plan”). The FY 2020 budget totals $92.5 billion, including $68.2 billion that will be funded with locally generated revenues (i.e., City funds).

In order to ensure contractors doing business with New York State are paid timely, Article 11-A of State Finance Law prescribes timeframes for agencies to prepare and submit vouchers to the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) for review and approval before payment.

In 2017, the State’s 109 active Industrial Development Agencies reported projects valued at $98.1 billion, with over $750 million in net annual tax exemptions and $8.0 billion in total debt outstanding, including conduit and other debt. They supported 4,385 projects that produced a net total of 198,522 jobs gained since their inception through 2017.

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