Reports

The Office of the New York State Comptroller conducted a series of five audits designed to examine State agencies’ compliance with EO 95 to improve accountability and support continuous improvement of Open Data, increasing its benefits to the public and government entities.

State Fiscal Year 2020-21 was another productive year for the Office of Unclaimed Funds, returning $400 million to rightful owners.

The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented challenges for the State’s regional transportation authorities by disrupting operations, decreasing ridership, and severely reducing revenues; however, these authorities reported that federal aid helped them weather pandemic deficits. If ridership continues to languish and does not return to pre-pandemic levels, the authorities will need additional revenue from other sources to continue to provide services at current levels—or may be faced with limiting services.

Local government sales tax collections in July increased by 21.2% over the same month in 2020, marking the fourth consecutive month that collections exceeded 2020 results. Collections totaled close to $1.6 billion, up $276 million from July of last year.

Millions of Americans still face housing insecurity as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly 15 percent behind on rent payments at the end of June. New York City not only houses the majority of the State’s renters but also had relatively high rates of rent-burdened tenants prior to the pandemic.

On June 30, 2021, New York City adopted its $98.7 billion budget for fiscal year 2022. Excluding federal aid, the City will fund about $2 billion more in spending than was planned in its proposed executive budget in April, after adjusting for surplus transfers and money set aside for reserves. 

Personal income in New York State has surpassed pre-pandemic levels; while this is a positive development, there are two causes for concern. First, growth is primarily due to transfer receipts paid to New Yorkers from the government, which account for more than 20 percent of personal income. Second, earnings in seven industrial sectors, including the leisure and hospitality sector that was hardest hit during the pandemic, have not yet returned to pre-2020 levels.

Local sales tax collections in New York State grew by 49.2 percent, or just over $1.6 billion, in the second quarter of 2021 compared to the same period last year, a dramatic increase from last year’s weak collections during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even so, when compared to pre-pandemic levels, the second quarter of 2021 was still strong – up 8.7 percent, or $396 million, above the same period in 2019.

Regional Table [.xlsx]

In 2020, OSC completed 10 audits of preschool special education providers' expenses submitted to SED. These audits cumulatively identified over $4.4 million in recommended disallowances, or more than 3 percent of the total claimed expenses of $139.3 million for the audit period. 

The State Fiscal Year 2021-22 Enacted Budget Financial Plan reflects a remarkable improvement in the State’s financial condition, as New York and the nation have begun to recover from the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, there are significant risks to the plan that can be managed if policymakers commit to further strengthening the State’s rainy day reserve funds; exercise discipline by using temporary federal resources for non-recurring obligations over the multi-year plan period; consider the long-term sustainability of major spending programs; closely monitor personal income tax collections and taxpayer behavior; and restore effective State debt management practices, including establishment of new and meaningful debt limitations and, if practicable, greater use of “pay-as-you-go” capital.

The COVID-19 pandemic spurred a change in how people sought and received medical care; rather than visiting medical practitioners in person, increasing numbers of people used telehealth services. While telehealth usage in New York and nationally has declined since the pandemic peak, it remains well above pre-pandemic levels, though still only a small share of overall utilization.

Local sales tax collections in May increased by 57.8 percent over the same month in 2020, the highest one month increase in recent history. Collections totaled $1.4 billion, up $530 million from May of last year.

Regional Table [.xlsx]

One year after COVID-19 caused the sharpest economic contraction on record and exposed New York City’s finances to substantial risks, the City’s economy and finances are on the mend, thanks largely to unprecedented federal economic stimulus for businesses and individuals, and direct federal relief to New York State, New York City and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Population in the Bronx grew by 10.4 percent from 2000 to 2017 (faster than any other borough), driven primarily by the growth in the immigrant population, but it declined in the next two years to 1.42 million residents.

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic shutdown quickly led to soaring unemployment rates in New York; those rates subsequently declined slowly but steadily. However, for New Yorkers who face unique challenges due to a disability, unemployment rates increased more quickly and have remained stubbornly high, disrupting progress that had been made leading up to the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought a halt to the growth of the construction industry nationwide which, prior to the pandemic, had been growing strongly. This was especially true in New York State and New York City.

This report summarizes data for fiscal year 2019, the most recent data reported by IDAs through the Public Authorities Reporting Information System (PARIS). The report also contains a brief discussion of local development corporations (LDCs), a related type of local authority. | Interactive Map

Of the total contracts reported by State agencies in 2020, 78 percent were processed after their start or renewal dates, the highest percentage since 2013 when the figure was 87 percent.

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.

For State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2020-21, agencies paid vendors $1,451,218 in interest, a decrease of $279,793 (approximately 16 percent) from SFY 2019-20.