DiNapoli Calls For Reform Of State's Capital Plans

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli released a report today reviewing all of the state’s capital plans and spending for the coming years—a follow-up to an analysis the comptroller conducted in November 2010. The report describes trends in New York’s capital spending over the past decade and projections for such expenditures in the coming years. The report concludes that there is a lack of integration and coordination with regard to planning and financing, and offers further recommendations for reforms.

In a statement, DiNapoli praised Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Legislature for creating the New York Works Task Force, which released its Ten-Year State of New York Statewide Capital Plan in June 2013, but added that the plan included minimal detail about individual projects, existing assets and their condition, as well as potential financing arrangements, including the prospective use of private resources and public-private partnerships.

"Much of New York's infrastructure was built decades ago and is heavily used. It is in need of ongoing maintenance, repair or replacement, but the full scope of need is still unclear," DiNapoli said in a press release. "The governor and Legislature deserve credit for creating a task force to coordinate New York's infrastructure needs, but more reforms are recommended.”

Among DiNapoli’s proposed reforms are establishing a statewide capital asset condition and needs assessment and criteria for new capital initiatives; ending off-budget capital spending; enhancing capital needs reporting by individual agencies; and integrating legislative capital budget changes into the state’s Capital Plan.

DiNapoli’s report also points out that the state is slowing the pace of its capital investments, and that spending is projected to decline by an annual average of 1.1 percent from fiscal year 2014-15 through fiscal year 2018-19, while spending from other governmental funds is projected to increase by an average of 3.5 percent annually during the same period.

To read the full report, click here: http://www.osc.state.ny.us/reports/capital_report_030514.pdf