INSIDE WASHINGTON/Locals lay out security concerns in D.C.

City and county leaders across the country are reassessing their budgets, security levels and vulnerabilities as they scramble to meet their communities’ new safety needs since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. They worry that a sagging economy paired with new homeland security costs could send local economies into a downward spiral and potentially spin off other problems.

“My concern is [that this] will wipe out the progress we made in the cities in the last 10 years,” says New Orleans Mayor and U.S. Conference of Mayors President Marc Morial. “We had all come back economically. We reduced our crime numbers and we have been on the road to recovery and then this big jolt.”

Morial notes the increased costs associated with police and fire protection that local governments must now absorb as the nation fights the war on terrorism on the domestic front. “There is a downturn in retail spending, and that affects our budgets,” Morial says. “So our revenue projections are off, and we are expected to spend more on security, which makes it so hard.”

Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley echoes Morial’s concerns. “All of us, to one degree or another, are dependent on the tourists, hospitality and restaurant revenues and being the culture centers and gathering places for America,” he says. “There are huge unanticipated overtime expenditures as, overnight, our police have all become the nation’s militia.” O’Malley acknowledges that, for local governments to provide adequate security for their residents, they must extend their reach to “guard private infrastructure (such as gas lines, industrial complexes, railroad yards and utilities) that is not owned by the cities. We have to protect our citizens, and all of these things are located near our citizens,” he says.

Because of the funding shortfall and security summits, local leaders have been visiting Washington in droves in the three months since Sept. 11. Mayors and county officials are meeting to discuss security measures, but, more importantly, they are seeking financial assistance from Congress and the White House to help pay the unanticipated costs.

According to a recent USCM survey, security measures alone could cost cities up to $1.5 billion over the next year. That figure is expected to rise because it predates anthrax cases, and the data is mainly derived from small and medium-size cities. Similarly, a recent National League of Cities survey indicates that cities expect revenues to decline 4 percent during the next year — primarily because of the economic slowdown and increased security spending.

Congress has indicated its willingness to listen. “If [local governments] make a good case, hopefully we can help them,” says Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R — R.I.), the former mayor of Warwick, R.I.

Specifically, local officials are seeking a new anti-terrorism block grant to be created to help shoulder costs associated with the war on terrorism. They also want a national commitment to strengthen security for the nation’s transportation systems and waterways.

Local officials also are advising federal authorities how best to work with local governments on security issues. In a letter to Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge, Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Patrick McCrory suggested that the federal government contact local authorities prior to issuing security alerts and draw up “recommended actions for citizens to take in light of the alert.” McCrory also asked that individual local governments be able to create their own security guidelines when an alert is issued. “From our perspective, the most effective way to implement security policy is to allow local jurisdictions working on the front lines the flexibility to enact procedures that best fit the federal policy,” he noted.

The author is Washington correspondent for American City & County.