INSIDE WASHINGTON/Cities, counties gear up for 107th’s second half

Still reeling from the fallout of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, local leaders say that securing funding from Congress for homeland security measures will be their top priority for the second half of the 107th Congress. City and county leaders say that they would like to pursue other legislative goals in this year’s session, but they understand the costs of the war on terrorism might overwhelm them if the federal government does not step in with financial help.

“We are advocating that the federal government help us at the federal level to have safer communities,” says Santa Fe County (N.M.) Commissioner Javier Gonzales, president of the National Association of Counties. “Today, the funding level is not where it needs to be to protect our communities.”

“We are all being hit with increased costs of nine-eleven,” adds Reno, Nev., Mayor Jeff Griffin, the chairman of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Criminal and Social Justice standing committee.

Gonzalez says counties will aggressively lobby Congress and the White House to approve a $3 billion anti-terrorism block grant to help local governments pay increased law enforcement costs. USCM President and New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial says that approving such a funding mechanism is the top priority for the conference. “We want a homeland security block grant because we have great needs on the security side,” Morial says.

Local leaders also fret that funding for other crucial domestic programs might be sacrificed to help fund the war on the domestic front. Cameron Whitman, director of policy and federal relations for the National League of Cities, says there is talk in Washington that the White House is “planning on consolidating some funding programs” such as the Community Development Block Grant and youth employment initiatives.

“The administration will continue to re-evaluate federal spending priorities, and it is considering redirecting and possibly eliminating some programs because of new priorities,” warns Whitman, adding that NLC would strongly oppose any such efforts.

USCM also would “vigorously oppose” any funding cutbacks, according to Morial. “We understand the need to finance the war, but it cannot be done on the backs of crucial programs,” he says.

While city and county leaders will spend a majority of their time this year seeking additional homeland security funding, they would like to see Congress act on a host of other programs and issues. For example, they will lobby Congress to restore funding for the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant, which provides funding that can be used for hiring, training, purchasing equipment and paying overtime. The block grant’s budget recently was slashed by $100 million.

Additionally, election reform, particularly for counties, will be a top priority. “For a long time, counties have known they have not had the proper technology and funding in place to really do a good job in administering elections,” says Gonzalez, who adds Congress must address the matter before election-year politics cause legislative gridlock.

Morial says that the USCM will lobby for a wide range of issues — from affordable housing to railroads. “There is an affordable housing shortage in our cities,” says Morial, who advocates some form of housing tax credit to help rehabilitate urban areas. “We are not just saying give us some money, but give us some tools.” USCM also is expected to make a pitch for increased funding to develop passenger rail projects across the country.

Most importantly, however, local leaders simply want their voices heard on matters that affect their constituents. If that can be ensured, they feel that the rest will fall into place.

The author is Washington correspondent for American City & County.