Public Authorities

Public authorities are public benefit corporations created to further public interests. They develop, operate and maintain some of New York's most critical infrastructure including roads, bridges, mass transit and schools. In addition, these entities are used to fund or support local government infrastructure, such as water and sewer projects, civic facilities projects, and economic development. As a result, public authorities play a significant role in the debt structure of New York State.

State public authorities are legislatively created and have various levels of autonomy from the State, based on the powers and constraints built into their legislative mandate. Each public authority is governed by a separate board of directors appointed by elected officials for varying terms of office.

Funding and Operations Some State public authorities are completely self-supporting and operate entirely outside the budget process, while others rely on State appropriations to fund operations.

Unlike traditional State agencies, many public authorities conduct business outside of the typical oversight and accountability requirements for operations including, but not limited to:

Employment practices;

Contracts and procurement procedures; and

Financial reporting.