From 2019 through July 31, 2023, DiNapoli’s Local Government and School Accountability division released more than 190 information technology (IT) audits, finding more than 2,400 cybersecurity-related issues. The audits focused on breakdowns or gaps in fundamental cybersecurity components. The most common areas where improvement and corrective action were needed included cybersecurity governance aspects such as training in IT security awareness, policies and procedures, and the need for contingency plans.

This snapshot highlights the results for counties, cities, towns and villages that reported for local fiscal years ending (FYE) in 2022. Overall, the influx of federal pandemic relief aid, as well as robust sales tax revenues, were significant factors in lowering many municipalities’ fiscal stress scores in FYE 2022, especially for non-calendar year entities. Included in the report is an analysis of the 10 years of data collected since the launch of the system, focusing on what has been learned over the past decade.

New York State voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2013 which authorized seven commercial casinos. The first four of those opened between 2016 and 2018 in upstate communities and the Request for Applications for the remaining three licenses for downstate communities began in January 2023. This report analyzes the impact the revenue from the four upstate commercial casinos has had on the affected local governments.

Local government sales tax collections in New York State totaled $5.7 billion in the second calendar quarter of 2023, up 3 percent (or $167 million) compared to the same period last year. Second quarter growth was less strong than the 7.1 percent seen in the first quarter. In fact, overall growth has continued to slow since April-June 2021.

New York’s recreational adult-use cannabis market represents a new legalized industry and, as such, its development presents new and unique issues for local governments, particularly for the cities, towns and villages that will have marijuana retail dispensaries and consumption sites located within their jurisdictions. The purpose of this report is to briefly provide a background on the 2021 cannabis law, including its major components and actors, and to touch upon its financial and operational implications for local governments.

Local government sales tax collections in New York State totaled $5.5 billion in the first calendar quarter of 2023, up 7.1 percent (or $369 million) compared to the same period last year. Despite strong first quarter collections, sales tax growth continues to moderate, returning to more typical collections patterns seen prior to the pandemic. New York City experienced sales tax growth of 11.3 percent in the first quarter, while most counties and preempting cities throughout the rest of the State saw some growth as well.

A sample of 95 local governments across New York State reported $1.34 billion in actual and anticipated spending on capital projects over a 10-year period, with about $737 million (55% of the total) in response to climate-related hazards such as increased flooding and storm damage.

Local sales tax collections in New York State totaled $22.1 billion in 2022, up 12.7% ($2.5 billion) from 2021, mainly driven by inflation and strong sales statewide, especially in New York City. Overall sales tax growth, even though moderating somewhat recently, has remained high since the initial “bounce back” in the spring of 2021.

This snapshot highlights the FSMS results for school districts that reported for school fiscal year (SY) 2021-22, which ended on June 30, 2022. Fewer school districts were scored in fiscal stress in this year than any other year since the System’s inception largely due to increases in State aid and temporary federal aid.

Local government sales tax collections totaled nearly $5.7 billion and grew by 10.2%, or $529 million, in the third quarter of 2022 compared to the same period last year, mostly driven by double digit growth in New York City. However, local governments are contending with higher costs from inflation, which was 8.3% nationally. Adjusting for inflation, year-over-year growth in the value of sales tax revenue for the third quarter was 1.8%. | Regional Table [.xlsx]