Independent Budget Office

Provides nonpartisan, independent analysis of New York City's budget, taxes, and economy. Think of it as the city's fiscal fact-checker -- it crunches the numbers on the Mayor's budget proposals so the public and elected officials get a second opinion. When the Mayor says the budget is balanced or a new program will cost X dollars, IBO is the independent office that checks the math. Without it, the only budget analysis would come from the administration proposing the spending -- hardly a neutral source.