Prior to the pandemic, enrollment in the City’s cash assistance program had been on the decline, reaching a record-low level of 325,000 people in March 2020. Enrollment then grew sharply, by about 20 percent between February 2020 and September 2020, when the caseload peaked at 391,432 people, before beginning to decline. However, since September 2021, after federal extended unemployment benefits came to an end, enrollment has risen again

New York City Health + Hospitals initially experienced some challenges with staffing and supply shortages and capacity limitations. As the pandemic unfolded, the agency assumed a significant role in planning for and responding to New York City’s public health emergency, launched the largest test and trace program in the country and implemented a vaccine program. The agency managed financially early in the pandemic due to the receipt of federal COVID-19 relief funding but, with the rise of new variants and subsequent increase in hospitalizations, costs continue to grow.

The pandemic impacted the delivery of some core public health services as agency resources were shifted to the COVID-19 response and fewer people sought health care. Responding to the mental health needs of people impacted by the pandemic, the Mayor launched Mental Health for All, a comprehensive website and public education campaign that coordinates mental health resources across City agencies, including the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

The pandemic has disrupted the provision of services to students and precipitated declines in enrollment at CUNY, as in most education systems. CUNY received more than $1.5 billion in federal aid across three federal relief packages to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic, including a minimum of $634 million which must be provided directly to students. Only $386 million of the total remains to be allocated in fiscal years 2022 and 2023.

Extraordinary emergency federal aid eliminated the most serious potential fiscal impacts of the pandemic. However, school closures, the necessary integration of remote learning, and the inability to provide in-person supplemental services to students have disrupted two consecutive school years, with significant negative impacts on student learning outcomes.

New York City’s FY 2023 Budget and April Financial Plan shows the city has benefited from stronger-than-anticipated tax collections, outsized federal grant revenue from relief programs, savings in pension contributions from extraordinary asset gains in FY 2021, and announced additional savings programs, including significant vacancy reductions. However, better-than-projected fiscal performance may be short-lived amid inflation, geopolitical tension and supply chain issues.

New York City lags the rest of the State and the nation in restoring pandemic job losses and in rebounding to pre-pandemic levels of unemployment. The recovery has also been uneven, with high-wage economic sectors generally faring better than low-wage sectors. This report aims to understand the main differences in labor force participation among the City’s workers and the reasons for the City’s slow recovery when compared to rest of the State and the nation.

The Comptroller is responsible for ensuring State and local governments use taxpayer money effectively and efficiently, including through the review of contracts. This year’s State budget allowed at least $11 billion in spending without a competitive process or the benefit of an OSC review. OSC’s oversight adds tremendous value, and contract review was completed in an average of just 5.3 days in 2021. A bill to statutorily restore certain OSC oversight authority for billions of dollars in contract spending should be enacted in this legislative session.

The personal income tax (PIT) is the single largest source of revenue for the State of New York, accounting for two out of every three tax dollars collected by the State. Accordingly, the State’s overall financial health and its ability to sustain investments in public services is linked to PIT collections. This report describes recent trends in personal income taxpayer filings between 2015 and 2019. 

Historic federal aid and better-than-expected revenues allowed for a steep increase in spending in the Enacted Budget. However, sustaining new recurring commitments over a longer time period may be difficult as new economic risks emerge, federal funding is spent down, and temporary tax revenues sunset. Bolstering reserve funds is essential for ensuring services New Yorkers rely on can be preserved through economic challenges and fiscal uncertainties.