Saturday, September 30, 2023

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli's Weekly News - Fiscal Stress Monitoring System Marks 10-Year Anniversary

 


Weekly News Header Final

Fiscal Stress Monitoring System
Marks 10-Year Anniversary

Street with cars

September marks the 10th anniversary of the Fiscal Stress Monitoring System for local governments and school districts. State Comptroller DiNapoli launched the system to evaluate local governments’ financial indicators and provide an early warning to local officials about potential fiscal issues and give the public insight into their communities’ financial health.

Thanks in part to federal aid and rising sales tax revenue, the number of local governments with a fiscal stress designation dropped from 20 a year ago to 14 for fiscal year end 2022.

“Our fiscal stress early warning system identifies potential financial problems for local governments so they can take corrective action to avoid problems down the road,” DiNapoli said. “Sales tax collections have leveled off in recent months and federal dollars are being spent down, so localities should plan their budgets cautiously and accordingly.”

Read More
Search for Your Community


DiNapoli Urges Focus on Addressing Rural Challenges 

State Comptroller DiNapoli released a report examining demographic, economic and quality of living trends in 10 rural counties in New York State. Most of the counties had population losses, aging residents, a shrinking labor force, as well as challenges with housing availability and access to health care, food and broadband. The counties selected as representative of rural New York include Allegany, Chenango, Delaware, Essex, Greene, Hamilton, Lewis, Schuyler, Sullivan, and Wyoming. 

Read More

Transparency Needed as NYC Moves Forward with Difficult Budget Choices 

New York City is planning significant steps to reduce City-funded spending by as much as 15% in response to substantial budget gaps fueled by escalating costs in the years ahead. However, the City’s ability to cut spending is limited to what it has discretion and control over, according to a report released by State Comptroller DiNapoli. The report urges the City to use greater transparency for nondiscretionary costs that it does not have direct control over to help the public, policymakers and its funding partners understand what’s at stake. 

Read More

Former Medical Office Manager Arrested for Scheme to Defraud the New York State Health Insurance Plan 

State Comptroller DiNapoli announced the arrest of Gina Bradshaw, an office manager for numerous doctors’ offices in Manhattan, for her alleged role in a long-term scheme to defraud the New York State Health Insurance Plan out of over $12,000 by submitting fraudulent claims for reimbursement. The arrest was the result of a joint investigation between State Comptroller DiNapoli, Ulster County District Attorney Clegg, and the FBI Hudson Valley White Collar Crime Task Force. 

Read More

Great Demand For NYS General Obligation Bonds Allows State to Reduce Costs to Taxpayers 

State Comptroller DiNapoli awarded through negotiated sale $572,715,000 of New York State General Obligation Bonds. After a one-day retail and institutional order period, the State received total orders of over $1.6 billion or 2.8 times the amount of bonds offered, which allowed the State to reduce yields in many maturities. Ultimately, retail orders supported over 55 percent of the total bond sale, of which 85 percent was from New York retail buyers. The true interest cost of the GO Bonds was 3.99 percent. 

Read More

Municipal & School Audits

Tom DiNapoli @NYSComptroller 

State Comptroller DiNapoli UAW Local 3039 Tweet

Permits Filed For 954 Rogers Place In Longwood, The Bronx

 


Permits have been filed for a four-story residential building at 954 Rogers Place in Longwood, The Bronx. Located between East 165th Street and Westchester Avenue, the lot is a two-minute walk from the Intervale Avenue subway station, serviced by the 2 and 5 trains. Gjek Popaj is listed as the owner behind the applications, who also filed permits for a similar structure at 950 Rogers Place.

The proposed 40-foot-tall development will yield 11,700 square feet designated for residential space. The building will have 11 residences, most likely condos based on the average unit scope of 1,063 square feet. The masonry-based structure will also have a cellar and a 31-foot-long rear yard.

Anthony Cucich Architect is listed as the architect of record.

Demolition permits have not been filed yet. An estimated completion date has not been announced.

Governor Hochul Celebrates Federal Funding Award for New York's First State Veterans Cemetery

New York State Veterans Cemetery - Finger Lakes Came Under State Ownership in February 2023

National Cemetery Administration to Provide $3.951 Million for Expansion and Improvements

Governor Kathy Hochul announced the award of nearly $4 million in federal funding to support expansion and improvement projects at the New York State Veterans Cemetery - Finger Lakes, the first veterans cemetery owned and operated by New York State. This builds on the Governor's announcement of the formal establishment of the State cemetery in February 2023, and marks an important milestone that will help ensure the State can provide dignified burial options for New York’s veterans and their families for generations to come.

“Our veterans give so much for us, it is only right they have a dedicated, dignified space to rest,” Governor Hochul said. “The establishment of this cemetery is a proud achievement of my administration, and I am thankful for my partners who have made this possible. This federal funding will ensure the cemetery is maintained to the highest standards as it so rightfully should.”

Overseen by the New York State Department of Veterans' Services, the New York State Veterans Cemetery – Finger Lakes occupies 162 acres along Seneca Lake in Romulus, Seneca County and is adjacent to Sampson State Park. The site has 147 acres of land available for development and construction projects to ensure it serves as an honored resting place for New York State’s heroes for generations to come. The Cemetery is located at the site of the former Sampson Naval Training Station and Sampson Air Force Base, where hundreds of thousands of service members trained during World War II and the Korean War. The site later functioned as a temporary college and a separation center for service members being discharged, and officially closed in 2000. The Cemetery is located near Waterloo, the community recognized as the birthplace of Memorial Day.

New York State Department of Veterans’ Services Commissioner Viviana DeCohen said, “There is no higher honor than to ensure that each New Yorker who has served in our nation’s military is laid to rest in the dignified manner that their service and sacrifice merits. The New York State Veterans Cemetery – Finger Lakes guarantees that all New Yorkers who have served will have a place where they can receive their final honors on hallowed ground with a rich legacy of military service. We are immensely grateful to Governor Hochul, to all who have maintained this cemetery in Seneca County throughout its years of existence, and to our partners at the National Cemetery Administration in all of their efforts to reach this important moment.”

The federal funding announced today is the culmination of a process that began in 2022, when the National Cemetery Administration awarded New York State a $2.8 million grant opportunity for projects associated with the New York State Veterans Cemetery - Finger Lakes. Following a design and planning phase during which NYS DVS worked closely with Seneca County and the NCA to ensure the project would meet federal specifications, the NCA increased New York State's final grant award by more than 40 percent to $3.951 million. This funding will allow for upgrades, including a columbarium, maintenance building, maintenance yard, and supporting infrastructure.

New York State is home to more than 688,000 veterans, and until Governor Hochul's administration established the New York State Veterans Cemetery - Finger Lakes, New York was one of just a handful of states across the country that did not have a federally recognized state-owned and operated veterans’ cemetery. The New York State Veterans Cemetery – Finger Lakes is open for internments of all eligible veterans (as defined by federal law) and eligible family members.

About the Department of Veterans’ Services
The New York State Department of Veterans’ Services, which has served as the state’s advocacy agency for veterans, service members, and military families since 1945, maintains an agencywide commitment of serving all veterans, service members, and military families in a wide range of practice areas, including claims and appeals for benefits from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, discharge upgrade appeals to the United States Department of Defense, and claims for New York State benefits. Veterans, service members, and military families are encouraged to contact the Department at 888-838-7697 or its website veterans.ny.gov to meet — in person or virtually — with an accredited Veterans Benefits Advisor to address their needs and gain the full measure of benefits that they have earned. Follow DVS on FacebookInstagram and Twitter.