2011 Budget Fiasco

[danefan]

Comnig to a theater near you in the very near future...................newly sworn-in Governor Cuomo is expected to start his budget releases on Wednesday of this week. Should be very interesting to see how he handles the SUNY side of things.

 

One thing to note is that Buffalo and SBU have lost two very strong supporters - Bill Stachowski and Brian Foley, respectively, who both lost their reelection bids.

[UBBulls]

Stach lost in part because he folded to Assembly leaders on the SUNY Flex bill. He single-handedly held up the budget by not voting on a Senate spending bill without Flex being addressed by Assembly leaders. He was promised a 'framework' was in place. He fell for it, nothing came of it, and the voters let him go. Another rube was Sen. Antoine Thompson of Buffalo, fully behind Flex but toothless. It was reported he ran around the chambers mildly asking NYC Black Assembly reps to vote for flex, and they basically patted him on his head and said, "Sorry dear, you're sweet, but we won't vote 'yes'". He lost to a GOP candidate who is fully in support of UB2020, in a district that is 3-1 Dem/GOP. All incumbents and new members of the WNY delegation are in favor of UB2020 and SUNY Flex and the Buffalo-Niagara Partnership has listed UB2020 as their #1 economic development priority for 2011. Cuomo told the Buffalo News editorial board he is for UB2020 and SUNY Flex in general. This should be a good year for UB and all of us if we can get a deal passed, even with more cuts planned.

[danefan]

Stach lost in part because he folded to Assembly leaders on the SUNY Flex bill. He single-handedly held up the budget for Flex until he was promised a 'framework' was in place. He fell for it, nothing came of it, and the voters let him go. All incombants and new members WNY delegation are in favor of SUNY Flex, the Buffalo-Niagara Partnership has listed UB2020 as their #1 economic development priority for 2011, and Coumo told the Buffalo News editorial board he is for UB2020 and SUNY Flex in general. This shoudl be a good year for UB and all of us.

 

I hope you're right. I think Cuomo will be better suited to get this done and the Republican power should back it since most are upstaters. Hopefully Flex will roll out for the 4 SUNY Centers and immediate action is taken.

[UBBulls]

I hope you're right. I think Cuomo will be better suited to get this done and the Republican power should back it since most are upstaters. Hopefully Flex will roll out for the 4 SUNY Centers and immediate action is taken.

 

 

Zimpher has said they are taking what they learned from last year and going all-out again, while strategizing more wisely. It will be a full plan for all campuses, she has said.

[UBBulls]

Intersting stuff this week out of Buffalo. UB convinced Prez Simpson to stay on past his planned retirement date, and a Buffalo News piece on our new Senators "standing up for UB2020" at their "first opportunity", "possibly with legislation introduced as early as this week" and "withhold[ing] [votes] on the upcoming budget unless the UB 2020 issue is resolved." It could be positive with Zimpher and Cuomo on board for SUNY.

[MRSGDG]

SUNY campuses to compete for aid

1/18/10

NEW YORK STATE -- A source at SUNY says Chancellor Nancy Zimpher will announce plans to make campuses compete for some state aid as an incentive for faster improvements. According to the source, Zimpher's State of SUNY address will reveal the incentive plan on Wednesday.

 

Campuses will be able to compete for a share of state aid, based on their performance in select priorities. For example, campuses that excel in research or graduation rates could land more aid in those areas. If they declined, campuses could lose aid.

 

The amount of aid and what the priorities would be still has to be decided.

 

Click for the video from YNN: http://capitalregion...ompete-for-aid/

[Phoenix]

Check out right around the 2:00 mark...

[danefan]

Check out right around the 2:00 mark...

 

 

Maybe I should've gone to Cortland.

[danefan]

bump to get above the spam

[Clickclack]

There was a walk-out today at noon, people made a round in the LC calling for people to walk out of class. I'm assuming it was in protest of the program cuts. There were fliers around campus and on the board in front of the class an announcement.

 

They were load/disruptive but there weren't that many people and they were using what sounded like a loud horn. In my class of 150 people, not a single person walked out.

[danefan]

Cuomo's first Executive Budget proposal

 

Ignore that previous post - it was last year's I was looking at.

 

 

This is the 11-12 Budget book

 

http://www.scribd.co...57/BriefingBook

 

10% cut on the operating budget.

[danefan]

More info:

 

http://publications.budget.state.ny.us/eBudget1112/1112_budgetLegislation.html

[danefan]

The budget bills are much easier to read this year.

 

Operating funding:

 

Albany - $64,476,300

Binghamton - $47,364,500

Buffalo - $155,640,700

Stony Brook - $153,598,700

 

Looks UA got an additional $32,830,000 in capital appropriations for "Campus-wide projects, including Rehab/Preservation of Podium Structures".

[danefan]

Some legislative changes included

 

Part D Enhance flexibility for SUNY and CUNY in the areas of procurement and participation in public-private partnerships.

 

Purpose:

 

This bill would provide enhanced discretion for the State University of New York (SUNY) and the City University of New York (CUNY) in the areas of procurement, participation in public-private partnerships, and the lease and transfer of state lands.

 

Statement in Support, Summary of Provisions, Existing Law, and Prior Legislative History:

 

In June 2008, the Commission on Higher Education submitted its Final Report of Findings and Recommendations. The Commission recommended that the regulatory reforms enacted subsequent to the 1985 report of the Independent Commission on the Future of the State University of New York should be expanded in scope so that New York's public universities were better equipped to sustain themselves in an environment of declining State support, and were better aligned with the innovative capacity enjoyed by peer public university systems and institutions in other states. Two specific recommendations of the Commission involved providing SUNY and CUNY with greater flexibility in the areas of procurement and public-private partnerships. Such proposals would be beneficial during times of strong economic growth, but are essential in this time of financial difficulty, and would give the universities specific tools to better manage declining State fiscal support.

 

This bill includes the following specific provisions:

 

Sections 1 and 3 of subpart A authorize SUNY to lease real property to other entities for up to fifty years in support of its educational purpose, and participate in public-private partnerships that would benefit SUNY's mission, subject to approval of a newly created State University Asset Maximization Review Board.

 

Section 1 further provides that any lease agreement authorized pursuant to this legislation would be subject to minority and women-owned business enterprise (MWBE) provisions, prevailing wage rates, indemnification clauses, reverter clauses and project labor agreements.

 

Section 2 of subpart A creates the State University Asset Maximization Review Board and establishes that arrangements for the lease of real property and participation in public-private partnerships be unanimously approved by all voting members of the board--including representation from the Executive, Assembly and Senate. The board will also include representation from the State Comptroller, Attorney General, president of the AFL-CIO and the director of the Division of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE).

 

Section 2 of subpart A further establishes the action and timeline for which the board shall adhere with regards to voting.

 

Sections 4 and 5 of subpart A broaden the abilities of the State University Construction Fund (SUCF) to implement capital projects through alternative construction delivery methods and streamlined procurement guidelines, which must substantially conform to those applicable to existing public authorities.

 

Sections 6 and 7 of subpart A authorize the construction and financing by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) of facilities for the benefit of SUNY's State-operated and community colleges by not-for-profit entities associated with the State University, provided that the associated projects are subject to prevailing wage, MWBE, and competitive process requirements.

 

Sections 8 and 9 of subpart A authorize DASNY to construct and finance dormitories on behalf of community colleges, and requires community colleges to assume full financial responsibility for the cost of the projects.

 

Section 10 of subpart A allows SUNY to lease facilities within Albany County directly, rather than requiring the Office of General Services (OGS) to act on its behalf.

 

Sections 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 of subpart B remove provisions of law subjecting SUNY and CUNY to pre-approval of contracts by the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) in order to streamline the procurement of goods and services, while maintaining provisions requiring the post-audit of such contracts by OSC. Also, sections 2 and 4 promulgate new protocol and reporting requirements to gauge the efficacy of the aforementioned action.

 

 

Section 5 of subpart B authorizes streamlined procurement guidelines for the City University Construction Fund (CUCF), which must substantially conform to those applicable to existing public authorities.

 

Section 7 of subpart B allows post-audit in lieu of pre-audit requirements for Attorney General approval of leases between SUNY and its alumni associations in support of dormitory projects.

 

Section 8 of subpart B codifies in law, the ability of CUCF and DASNY to implement capital projects through alternative construction delivery mechanisms, other than "design, bid, build".

 

Subpart C allows for expansion of State University hospital participation in managed care networks and other joint and cooperative health care arrangements without pre-approval from any State entity, and conforms procurement guidelines of SUNY's health care facilities to those of the SUNY campuses, as prescribed in this bill.

 

Subpart D prescribes reporting requirements by the universities that detail the effectiveness of the provisions of this bill.

 

Budget Implications:

 

Enactment of this bill is necessary to implement the 2011-12 Executive Budget, as it will provide SUNY and CUNY with the ability to more efficiently and effectively manage recommended reductions of State support.

 

Effective Date:

 

The provisions of this bill would be effective immediately upon enactment, and would expire and be deemed repealed June 30, 2016.

 

 

http://publications....ticleVII_MS.pdf

[Dane96]

Good g-d...he is not playing around. I can tell you from a procurement perspective...this is an incredibly refreshing change if indeed it passes.