The report reinforces the importance of cooperation and consolidation in achieving local cost efficiencies, especially during these times of fiscal uncertainty. The report also provides tips to local officials interested in exploring greater degrees of cooperation with other local governments, promotes further exploration of service delivery on a regional basis and lists many resources available on these topics.

This report describes the fiscal challenges facing school districts in New York State. As with other classes of government, school districts have struggled to maintain fiscal balance in the midst of rising costs and declining economic conditions. |  [Regional Profiles]

The report is an update to a report on the sales tax first issued in 2006, "Local Government Sales Taxes in New York State." The report highlights new issues related to this important revenue source, including the potential impact of the upcoming 2010 Decennial Census on the share of tax revenues flowing to individual governments.

Unrestricted aid to local governments – known as revenue sharing – is State aid that can be used for any local government purpose. The intended goal is to redistribute tax dollars broadly to municipalities which do not have the tax base or taxing authority to generate this revenue on their own.

Since the cost of electricity represents a considerable burden to local governments and their taxpayers, this report focuses on initiatives that reduce electric bills and the consumption of electricity overall, as well as the consumption of electricity generated through traditional methods.

As previous reports by the Office of the State Comptroller have pointed out, the terms city, town and village have more to do with history than they do with presentday governmental function.2 This report looks at urban villages as one type of municipal government that has been impacted by these historic designations.

As New York State struggles to meet the challenges of its current fiscal crisis, State policy makers must find ways to encourage growth in various sectors of the State’s economy to ensure the long-term fiscal health of the State. Small businesses – including those owned by minorities and women – are a vital part of that economy.

This report examines some of the various options proposed to reduce local property tax growth.

This research brief summarizes issues associated with the property tax, provides an overview of recent trends and analyzes the tax burden across regions and types of local government.

This research brief— focusing mainly on demographic trends—is the first of a series that will examine major issues facing local governments in New York State.