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<title>NCPR Topical RSS: pension</title>
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<description>Latest North Country Public Radio regional news by topic. Topic=pension.</description>
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<copyright>&#x2117; &amp; &#xA9; 2013, North Country Public Radio</copyright>
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<description>NCPR provides locally-produced news stories from around the Adirondack and North Country regions of New York State, as well as Western Vermont, and Ontario and Quebec in Canada.</description>
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<title>Budget watchdog group: Cuomo pension plan a &quot;gimmick&quot;</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/21511/20130226/budget-watchdog-group-cuomo-pension-plan-a-quot-gimmick-quot</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (Feb 26, 2013) State lawmakers return to Albany later this week, and have just over three weeks to meet a self-imposed deadline to finish the state budget. Negotiations on a spending plan come amid a growing  push back to a key proposal by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to help local governments meet pension payments. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/21511/20130226/budget-watchdog-group-cuomo-pension-plan-a-quot-gimmick-quot">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
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<title>Silver on the fence on pension payment-easing plan</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/21347/20130130/silver-on-the-fence-on-pension-payment-easing-plan</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (Jan 30, 2013) New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo&apos;s pension stabilization plan could face some obstacles in the legislature.   Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver says he wants to know what the State Comptroller thinks of the idea first. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/21347/20130130/silver-on-the-fence-on-pension-payment-easing-plan">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
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<title>How Cuomo&apos;s pension plan could help North Country schools</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/21339/20130129/how-cuomo-apos-s-pension-plan-could-help-north-country-schools</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (Jan 29, 2013) It took a few days after Gov. Andrew Cuomo released his budget plan last week for many North Country school districts to realize they had a problem. The initial funding proposal didn&apos;t provide enough money to help them out of the budget hole.But there&apos;s still some hope in the governor&apos;s proposal. His plan includes more than $200 million in what&apos;s called fiscal stabilization funding. The idea is to help schools with a spike in pension costs this year. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/21339/20130129/how-cuomo-apos-s-pension-plan-could-help-north-country-schools">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 29 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
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<title>Cuomo unveils spending plan</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/21306/20130123/cuomo-unveils-spending-plan</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (Jan 23, 2013) Governor Cuomo presented a $142.6 billion state budget plan in Albany yesterday.  It holds spending growth under 2% and closes an estimated $1.35 billion budget shortfall.  Cuomo said his plan produces better results with less money.  &quot;And this is a different mentality from the old mentality,&quot; said Cuomo.  &quot;More money in the budget just meant you&apos;re hurting the economic development and fiscal responsibility because you weren&apos;t producing better results for people.&quot;The proposal includes money for a full-day pre-kindergarten program for low income schools and a measure to raise in the minimum wage.One element features an unconventional way to help localities with the high costs of state pensions.Last year, the legislature created the new Tier 6 pension for entry level state workers.  It offers lower benefits than in the past and is expected to save $80 billion over 30 years.  But local governments won&apos;t begin to see those savings for several years though.Cuomo&apos;s proposal would allow cash-strapped governments to borrow against those future savings.  He said it was a significant way to alleviate the stress on cities, counties, towns, and villages.  &quot;It basically provides a financing plan to get the municipalities through this pension bubble, which is what we&apos;re really experiencing,&quot;said Cuomo.That idea left Republican Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush of Jefferson County scratching his head.  &quot;When you first hear about that,&quot; Blankenbush told NCPR, &quot;it doesn&apos;t seem like such a hot idea to borrow against a savings that may or may not be there in the future.&quot;  Blankenbush said he would reserve judgement until he researched more about it.  Still, he says would have liked to see Cuomo find more ways to unburden local governments from unfunded mandates. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/21306/20130123/cuomo-unveils-spending-plan">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 23 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
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<title>Cuomo tackles school funding, pensions in budget address</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/19144/20120118/cuomo-tackles-school-funding-pensions-in-budget-address</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (Jan 18, 2012) Gov. Andrew Cuomo delivered a budget yesterday that he says is honest, no gimmicks or one-shots, and manageable. It closes a $2 billion deficit, raises health care and education spending and begins mandate relief for local governments. It also tackles pension reform, and offers an ultimatum to schools to accept a teacher evaluation program or lose out on an increase in state aid. And Cuomo promises no new taxes. The governor again took sharp aim at what he called the status quo in Albany, demonizing some of its most powerful public labor unions. We have details and reaction this morning, starting with our Albany reporter, Karen DeWitt. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/19144/20120118/cuomo-tackles-school-funding-pensions-in-budget-address">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
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<title>Cuomo&apos;s new budget could bring sweeping changes to North Country</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/19142/20120117/cuomo-apos-s-new-budget-could-bring-sweeping-changes-to-north-country</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (Jan 17, 2012) Governor Andrew Cuomo laid out a spending plan for New York state today that’s designed to cut more than 2 billion dollars in deficits. The plan includes hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts from state programs, while also using new revenue from a higher tax bracket for wealthy New Yorkers.   Here in the North Country, Cuomo’s budget would bring sweeping changes: It’ll squeeze benefits enjoyed by state workers, pose big new challenges for the Olympic Regional Development Authority, and offer  some new help for local governments struggling with Medicaid costs. Brian Mann joined Nora Flaherty on the line to talk about Cuomo&apos;s speech. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/19142/20120117/cuomo-apos-s-new-budget-could-bring-sweeping-changes-to-north-country">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
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<title>Public pensions strain budgets</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/17537/20110426/public-pensions-strain-budgets</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (Apr 26, 2011) The recent battles in Wisconsin and Ohio over collective bargaining for public workers has shined a light on the pensions government workers often receive. Here in New York, the state’s pension fund is solvent. But costs have been sharply rising for the local governments that pay into it, and now some are calling for changes to the system. Our story from David Chanatry with the New  York Reporting Project at Utica College. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/17537/20110426/public-pensions-strain-budgets">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title>NY pension fund contribution rates rising</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14288/20090904/ny-pension-fund-contribution-rates-rising</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (Sep 4, 2009) Contributions from local governments to the state’s pension system will be going up in the next two years, says the State’s Comptroller, who blames the downturn in the stock market for the increase.  Karen DeWitt reports. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14288/20090904/ny-pension-fund-contribution-rates-rising">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>Pataki vetoes early retirement bill</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/7734/20060720/pataki-vetoes-early-retirement-bill</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (Jul 20, 2006) Governor Pataki has vetoed an early retirement plan for state workers passed by the legislature. Budget watchdog groups are urging Governor Pataki to veto a number of other public pension sweetener bills as well.  Karen DeWitt reports. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/7734/20060720/pataki-vetoes-early-retirement-bill">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 20 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title>Bill Introduced To Keep Traffic Fines Local</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/4730/20040909/bill-introduced-to-keep-traffic-fines-local</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (Sep 9, 2004) 17 state senators, including North Country Senator Ray Meier, have introduced a bill that would repeal a controversial change in vehicle law approved in the state budget last month.  The law would give the state, not towns and villages, the lion&apos;s share of the fines from speeding tickets and other traffic violations.  Senator Meier told David Sommerstein the law is a direct result of the dysfunctional budget process. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/4730/20040909/bill-introduced-to-keep-traffic-fines-local">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 09 Sep 2004 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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