https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com


INSIDE WASHINGTON/Lobbying for more transportation funds

INSIDE WASHINGTON/Lobbying for more transportation funds

As Congress works to reauthorize a massive highway bill, city and county leaders are requesting a bigger share of federal transportation funds and more
  • Written by Mark Preston
  • 1st June 2003

As Congress works to reauthorize a massive highway bill, city and county leaders are requesting a bigger share of federal transportation funds and more say in how the money is spent. The bill, which has not been formally named, could allocate as much as $375 billion over the next six years to pay for new roads and bridges and to maintain existing ones.

The most recent highway bill, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), expires on Sept. 30. Mayors and county commissioners are urging Congress to place a greater emphasis on local needs as they write the first major transportation bill of the 21st Century. “Congress should give metropolitan areas more resources and greater decision ability to direct transportation funds where they are most needed,” Knoxville, Tenn., Mayor Victor Ashe told the House Highways, Transit and Pipelines Subcommittee last month.

While Congress is likely to agree that local funding needs to be boosted, it is less clear if federal lawmakers feel there is a need to send money directly to local governments. Still, local leaders are calling on Congress to suballocate funds to cities and counties and bypass the states, which traditionally have served as the main distributor of federal highway funds.

“Under the current law, local officials are only allowed to make decisions on approximately six cents of every federal transportation dollar,” Laredo, Texas, Mayor Elizabeth Flores told the House panel. “This is a woefully modest allocation of resources to metropolitan areas that represent more than one-half of the nation’s population and 80 percent of the nation’s employment, income and production of goods and services. This is an insult to mayors on the front line.”

Ashe and Flores were just two of the five mayors and county commissioners who appeared before the subcommittee in May to plead the case of local governments. Local leaders are expected to continue to make appearances before other congressional committees in the coming months to argue the same point.

In addition to suballocating funds, city and county officials also are calling on Congress to increase funding for mass transit projects, which they say are key to alleviating traffic congestion. It is estimated that 14 million people use transit each day, and that number is increasing, says Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels.

“People, businesses and communities rely on transit to get around, and [they] depend on their elected officials to make a strong investment in buses, commuter rail, light rail, ferries and other transportation modes that provide choices other than being stuck in traffic,” Nickels told the subcommittee.

Congress uses the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) report, “The Status of the Nation’s Highways, Bridges and Transit,” to help determine funding levels for building and maintaining highways. The cost to improve the nation’s bridges and highways over the next 20 years is $106.9 billion per year, according to the report. Maintaining the current infrastructure would cost $75.9 billion per year over the same time period, according to the DOT.

Maintaining the status quo does not appeal to at least one key House member. “The current level of funding for the federal highway and transit programs is insufficient to meet the needs of our deteriorating transportation infrastructure,” says Rep. Tom Petri, R-Wis., chairman of the Highways, Transit and Pipelines Subcommittee.

Unlike most issues on Capitol Hill, very little partisan fighting exists over the reauthorization of the highway bill, which has the potential to deliver millions of dollars to every congressional district in the country. The sparring this year will be between Congress and the White House, which is trying to cut back on federal spending.

The author is Washington correspondent for American City & County.

Tags:

Most Recent


  • NYC wants to convert unused offices into housing units through relaxed regulations, incentivization
    Since the start of the pandemic, cities across the United States have seen a dramatic increase in residents working from home, and in correlation, more unused offices. While local governments are still grappling with the best way to overcome this challenge, converting vacated commercial space into residential dwellings is a clear solution, as it simultaneously […]
  • podcasts
    Tuning into your community: Top reasons why your agency needs a podcast
    Podcasts are more popular than ever. In fact, in the United States, podcasts attract more than 100 million monthly listeners (according to demandsage.com). Are you tapping into the power of the pod to deliver important news on your city or county’s programs, projects, initiatives and community partnerships? If not, you may miss out on a […]
  • 25 of the best city flags flying over American metros and towns
    When it comes to city flags, “form follows function.” A simple, well-designed city flag creates community cohesion, fosters civic pride, and support’s the commuinity’s branding. It also costs less and more residents are apt to use it, according to a survey ranking the best city flags in the United States from the North American Vexillological […]
  • sustainability
    Residents ask government leaders to show measurable sustainability results and triumphs
    There’s a growing urgency for cities and counties to go green, says Sol Salinas, executive vice president, sustainability lead at Capgemini Americas, a service-based company that provides consulting, digital transformation and outsourcing services to many organizations, including government agencies. It partners with organizations to transform and manage their operations by harnessing the power of technology. […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • What “smart city” means for 2021: How digital twins, AI and other innovations drive smart transformation
  • 10 reasons why local governments should outsource all IT: Post pandemic view
  • A call to action: Moving procurement past its pre-pandemic mindset
  • Making deals: Cooperative agreements can help governments achieve supplier diversity goals

White papers


Modernizing government services for today’s resident expectations

24th January 2023

Preparing Your Community Now for the Next Generation of Older Adults

18th October 2022

Helping Government Fleets Achieve Their Goals

30th September 2022
view all

Webinars


Future-proof Your State and Local Government Finance: 5 Key Trends for 2023

6th February 2023

How To: Evaluate Digital Government Service Delivery Technologies

23rd January 2023

Using Technology to Enhance Communications

29th November 2022
view all

PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

GALLERIES


25 of the best city flags flying over American metros and towns

7th February 2023

These 10 American cities are well prepared for a tech-based future

1st February 2023

Report: While remote work is causing offices to empty out, walkable cities are still in high demand

26th January 2023
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

NYC wants to convert unused offices into housing units through relaxed regulations, incentivization dlvr.it/Sj7ls5

8th February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Tuning into your community: Top reasons why your agency needs a podcast dlvr.it/Sj7578

8th February 2023
AmerCityCounty

25 of the best city flags flying over American metros and towns dlvr.it/Sj2RyK

7th February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Residents ask government leaders to show measurable sustainability results and triumphs dlvr.it/Sj1znw

6th February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Future-proof Your State and Local Government Finance: 5 Key Trends for 2023 dlvr.it/Sj1KxB

6th February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Amid spike, federal transportation department launches initiative to curb traffic-related deaths dlvr.it/Shvs31

3rd February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Engaging businesses to strengthen your community dlvr.it/ShvZn0

3rd February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Report: Some public employees face financial hardship; comprehensive pay packages proved ‘a pathway toward economic… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

2nd February 2023

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.