Research and Practice in Progress Briefing on Local Government in New York:

A Forum for Local Government Researchers, Practitioners, and Policymakers

Join the Rockefeller Institute of Government as it hosts researchers and policymakers from across New York State for a one-day conference examining innovation and best practices in local governance.

Thursday, March 14, 2019
10 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.

The Rockefeller Institute of Government
State University of New York
411 State Street, Albany

PROGRAM

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10:00 – 10:10 a.m.
Welcome and Review of the Agenda

Jim Malatras, President, Rockefeller Institute of Government

10:10-11:40 a.m.
Revenue, Expenditures, and Budgeting

Estimating Projected Sales Tax Revenues for County Budgets
Joshua Simons, The Benjamin Center, SUNY New Paltz

How Does Sharing Affect Service Expenditures? An Analysis of 20 Years of Cost Data
Austin M. Aldag and Mildred E. Warner, Cornell University

School District Fund Balances: The Law and the Reality
Adam Thumen, Office of the New York State Comptroller, Division of Local Government and School Accountability

11:40 – 11:50 a.m.
Break

11:50 a.m. – 12:40 p.m.
The Consequences of the Property Tax Cap

User Fees and the New York State Local Government Property Tax Freeze
Kevin M. Bronner, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy, University at Albany

New York’s Property Tax Cap and the Achievement Gap Between Poor and Wealthy Districts
Lucy C. Sorensen, Youngsung Kim, and Moontae Hwang, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy, University at Albany

12:40 – 1:30 p.m.
Lunchtime Presentation

Aligning IT and Records: Utilizing Shared-Services in the Age of Digitization
Maureen Reynolds, Tompkins County

1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Policy and the City

Regulating the Pay of Independent Contractor App-Dispatch FHV Drivers in New York City
James A. Parrott, Center for New York City Affairs, The New School

Making Rent Count: Using Rent Payments to Boost Credit Scores in New York City
Nichols Silbersack, NYC Comptroller’s Office

A Replicable and Innovative University-Community Partnership Model to Action Your Research
Deborah Gans and Terri Matthews, Town+Gown, New York City Department of Design and Construction

2:30 – 2:40 p.m.
Break

2:40 – 4:00 p.m.
Policy Innovation, Pilot Programs, and Engineering Progress

Progress Update: Combating Urban Blight in the Capital Region and Mohawk Valley – The Community Officials Data Exchange (C.O.D.E)
John Coluccio, Department of Utilities, City of Schenectady, and Meghan Cook, CTG-University at Albany

The Center for Governance at Clinton Community College (CCC): A North Country Experiment in Democracy, Our Creation and Future
Michael S. Cashman, Town of Plattsburgh, Christopher Drennan, Steven G. Frederick, and Thomas R. Mandeville, Clinton Community College

Managing Chaos – Helping Senior Officials Survive, and Thrive, During a Crisis
Terry Hastings, New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services

Protecting Rural Town Roads from Snow Plowing Demands
Philip Street, NYS Tug Hill Commission

4:00-4:45 p.m.
Housing and Home Rule

Is Dillon Trumping Home Rule? Local Governments and the Rise of State Preemption
Carl Stenberg, University of North Carolina

Do Local Public Service Expenditures Have Lasting Effect on House Prices
Simin Mozayeni, SUNY New Paltz