Making Cents of It All: The City’s Budget, Its Data, and Why It Matters to You!

At more than $118 billion, New York City’s annual budget is larger than the budgets of all but three U.S. states. It funds everything from parks and libraries to housing programs, street maintenance, childcare, and public safety. But the documents that make up the City’s budget were not designed primarily for public transparency, they are built to manage spending and comply with accounting rules. As a result, it can be surprisingly difficult for even experienced observers to understand where the money actually goes.

In this session, the Independent Budget Office’s Logan Clark will walk participants through the basics of how the City’s budget works and how to use publicly available data to better understand the City’s financial position. The session will introduce key budget concepts and vocabulary, explain why the budget is structured the way it is, and explore how different datasets can help illuminate city spending and ultimately, improve service delivery.

Participants will get a practical tour of major public resources, including the Independent Budget Office’s Fiscal History tools, the Comptroller’s Checkbook NYC tool, and public datasets from the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget. Attend this event to learn how to begin answering questions about agency spending, budget trends, and how public dollars translate into the services New Yorkers experience every day.