Sunday, May 23, 2021

The Strange Budget History at NYCERS 1980 - 2022

In June of 2017, I wrote post about NYCERS's budget history and a recent explosion of spending. Since then the growth of budget has lost all touch with reality. I have added new data both current and historical. Currently I do not have access to the records from 1997 to 2004.

I will let the numbers in the table below speak for themselves.

Prior to FY-1997, the NYCERS admin budget was part of the overall NYC budget adopted by the City Council.

In 1996 the state legislature authorized the NYCERS Borad of Trustees to adopted the annual admin budget for NYCERS and to pay all expenses from the assests of the pension fund. From 1997 to 2005 the NYCERS admin budget increased by 294.25%. Most of that increase was in place by 2001, the year the dot-com bubble hit Wall Street. That, in turn, created pressure to keep the growth in the budget below the inflation rate.

It is reasonable to question the need for such a significant increase in the NYCERS admin budget over this nine year period, if you were not aware of what disparate shape NYCERS was in 1996.

It is, however, absolutely clear that NYCERS was radicallly well equipped to do its work in 2005, probably far better than any other city agency. As an example, in the aftermath of 9/11 attack, a major division of OMB worked out of the NYCERS's office for over 6 months. They thought they had died and went to heaven.

The FY-2006 budget was the last budget I prepared before I left NYCERS. It had a 1.4% increase. You will notice in the following year, FY-2007,a significant increase in staff.

On May 14, 2020 in the midst of the pandemic, the NYCERS's trustees adopted FY-2021 admin budget of $89.7M. Then, on Decemeber 10, 2020, the trustees increased that bduget to $98.3M, an $8.6M increase.

On April 8, 2021 the trustees adopted the FY-2022 admin budget of $135.7M, a $36.4M increase.

As of January 1, 2022 most of the publically elelcted trustees on the NYCERS Board of Trustees will be gone. The Mayor, the Comptroller and four of the five Borough Presidents will all be new people. One current Borough President and the Public Advocate wiil probably be on the ballot in November. Most likely,four years from now all of the public trustees who voted for this qusetionable $135.7M budget will be gone.

History of NYCERS Admin Budget 1987-2022
Fiscal Year F/T Count P/T Count College Aides / Hourly PS Budget OTPS Budget Fringe Total % Increase
1980 21900 $3,558,977 $1,079,851 na $4,638,828 na
1981 22200 $3,507,806 $1,020,374 na $4,528,180 -2.39%
1982 22000 $3,970,212 $1,177, 748 na $5,147,960 13.69%
1983 22400 $4,429,362$1,230,672 na $5,660,034 9.95%
1984 23100 $5,026,847 $1,194,237 na $6,221,084 9.91%
1985 23900 $5,446,600 $1,241,976 na $6,688,576 7.5%
1986 247030 $5,916,793 $1,423,743 na $7,340,536 9.76%
1987 245030 $6,621,803 $1,881,300 na $8,167,220 11.26%
1988 265030 $6,621,803 $1,881,300 na $8,503,103 4.11%
1989 285030 $7,849,731 $1,932,351 na $9,782,082 15.4%
1990280030 $8,284,883 $2,578,693 na $10,863,576 11.06%
1991229030 $6,826,473 $2,475,205 na $9,301,678 -14.38%
1992225030 $6,646,549 $2,216,262 na $8,862,811 -4.72
1993 223030 $6,858,991 $2,198,882 na $9,057,873 2.20%
1994 194030 $6,778,541 $2,183,101 na $8,961,642 -1.06%
1995 167030 $6,202,062 $2,080,504 na $8,282,566 -7.58%
1996 154030 $6,199,709 $2,573,715 na $8,773,424 5.93%
1997 200030
1998230030
1999270030
2000290030
20013201330
20023201330
20033341330
20043341330
2005 342 13 30 $19,737,687 $14,851,355 $3,887,624 $38,476,666 295.25%
20063421330 $20,255,911 $14,683,855 $ 4,076,823 $39,016,589 1.01%
2007 364130 $22,616,783 $14,258,471 4,375,788 $41,251,042 5.73%
2008 371130 $23,597,857 $17,259,313 $4,799,066 $45,656,236 10.80%
2009 371130 $25,189,842 $18,208,861 $4,879,903 $48,278,606 6.22%
2010372120 $26,046,827 $17,777,228 $5,362,640 $49,186,695 1.88%
2011372120 $26,046,827 $18,492,228 $6,006,573 $50,545,628 2.76%
2012372120 $25,756,827 $18,781,428 $6,603,649 $51,122,139 1.14%
2013380520 $26,623,635 $17,951,822 $7,532,499 $52,107,956 1.93%
2014383530 $26,813,635 $18,761,240 $7,669,819 $53,244,694 2.18%
2015392530 $29,131,972 $18,154,572 $7,915,476 $55,202,020 3.68%
2016 392350 $30,233,989 $19,407,619 $8,155,517 $57,797,125 4.70%
2017 401350 $31,056,080 $20,916,796 $8,605,288 $60,578,164 4.81%
2018 411350 $31,704,410 $21,832,718 $9,194,015 $62,731,143 3.55%
2019 428 35 0 $33,592,612 $43,532,302 $10,344,565 $87,469,479 39.44%
2020 438 27 16 $35,262,139 $45,862,557 $10,689,350 $91,814,046 4.97%
2021 438 27 16 $36,842,549 $50,210,145 $11,283,945 $98,336,639 7.10%
2022 474 27 16 $38,397,943 $85,531,063 $11,719,465 $135,648,471 37.94%

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