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
  • 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
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • 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

Public Works & Utilities


Jared Murray/Unsplash

News

Historic infrastructure bill presents once-in-a-century opportunity, challenges for communities

Historic infrastructure bill presents once-in-a-century opportunity, challenges for communities

  • Written by Andy Castillo
  • 11th November 2021

With the passage of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill through Congress, cities and counties across the nation are taking stock of needs in their communities to best prioritize spending when funding arrives—hopefully sooner than later. 

The historic initiative, which is expected to be signed by President Joe Biden next week, allots more money for infrastructure than many communities have seen in nearly a century—since the New Deal was passed during the Great Depression. 

“For cities and counties, I’d be doing two things—looking at long-term goals and strategies … (and) engaging the community so they can appreciate what our long-term goals are,” said Elizabeth Kellar, director of public policy for the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).  

Specifically, the bill sets aside $284 billion for transportation, $55 billion for water, $65 billion for broadband, $73 billion for energy and power, $21 billion for environmental remediation, $8.3 billion for western water infrastructure (to address drought conditions) and $46 billion for resiliency purposes. 

In 10 years, Kellar said she expects retrospective public consensus about the infrastructure bill to reflect a sentiment of thankfulness that “we started on this effort when we did,” she said. “We look back at our National Highway System with almost reverence—we look back at the Brooklyn Bridge with almost awe.” 

The nation’s historic infrastructure-centric focus has faltered over the last decades. And in recent years, decisions on infrastructure spending have been made annually, with grant programs given one-year extensions during each legislative session. This kick-the-can-down-the-road mentality at the federal level has made it difficult for local officials to conduct business in a forward-looking manner and address the long-term infrastructure needs in their communities. 

With increasingly dangerous climate change-driven storms and evolving green energy technologies, the need for smart spending initiatives to address America’s crumbling infrastructure—much of which was built as a result of the New Deal—is dire. 

“The need for greater resilience is clearly a growing need due to climate change, and I think neglect is another part of it—that bridge we built 100 years ago is starting to show signs that it needs to repair—that’s a huge project, how can we do it?” Kellar said.  

Addressing infrastructure needs of such scale requires time; and that’s something local administrators haven’t been afforded. Until now, that is. 

“You can imagine that, if you’re trying to determine if you have enough money to make a bridge improvement and you only have enough funding for one-year maximum, it makes it difficult to get the contract in place and the (have confidence) that you’ll be able to complete the project,” she continued. 

From the perspective of local government, one of the major strengths of the Biden Administration’s infrastructure bill is that it replenishes key grant programs for at least five years, giving administrators “long-term planning opportunities” for the first time in a long time. 

But while this forward-thinking approach is necessary, it will also pose challenges. For one, officials will have to devote time to educating the public on what it will take to tackle huge projects. Rebuilding a bridge or updating a sewer system isn’t an overnight project, even if that’s the timeframe constituents expect. 

“Anything that takes more than six months to accomplish, they get frustrated—we’re going to have a job in state and local government to talk about the progress,” Kellar said. “It’s going to be a long-term effort.” 

Further, small-town governments might not have the in-house expertise necessary to make spending decisions about novel initiatives like emerging green energy technologies, regional transportation or resiliency infrastructure to combat evolving weather patterns. Kellar stressed that it will be important for local administrators to seek help either by consulting experts or reaching out to adjacent communities and working together on projects. 

In this, the bill encourages cross-county collaboration by sending money to regional planning organizations, which “brings cities and towns to work together,” she said. It also considers representation and—through a few different mechanisms—brings many different voices to the table. 

For communities that don’t know what steps they should take, Kellar suggested reaching out to advocacy organizations including the International City/County Management Association, the National League of Cities, the National Association of Counties, the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Government Finance Officers Association, among others.  

Looking ahead, rules will have to be hammered out for how spending will be distributed, and that will take time. In the meantime, Kellar pointed to another piece of legislation that’s currently in the House, having passed the Senate unanimously, that could help local administrators get started on projects immediately—before receiving anything from the infrastructure bill.  

The legislation, the “State, Local Tribal, and Territorial Fiscal Recovery, Infrastructure, and Disaster Relief Flexibility Act,” would “provide additional flexibility for the $350 billion Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (Recovery Fund) authorized under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA),” according to a brief from the National Association of Counties. If passed, it would allow “counties to allocate additional (Recovery Fund) funding for the provision of government services, invest in infrastructure-related and economic development activities and provide emergency relief from natural disasters and their economic impacts.” 

A stipulation in the bill caps this flexible spending ability to $10 million, making it particularly beneficial for smaller communities.  

“It will allow those smaller jurisdictions … clear direction, so that they can put some money into a bridge or make up lost revenue, or make cyber investments,” Keller said. “With this flexibility bill, they could immediately (start). You’ve already got the money in the bank because you’ve already got your first (ARPA) payment.”

Tags: homepage-featured-1 homepage-featured-2 homepage-featured-4 News Public Works & Utilities News Public Works & Utilities News

Most Recent


  • Amid an unprecedented increase in federal spending, cities and counties stand to benefit from partnerships
    The so-called “American dream” of upward mobility has more or less stagnated: Today, a little more than 40 percent of children raised at the bottom of the income ladder remain there as adults, according to Pew Charitable Trusts, and only half grow up to earn more than their parents. This data points to a concerning […]
  • Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
    Infrastructure highlighted by city leaders as top priority in analysis of 60 mayoral addresses
    After two years of ping-pong lockdown orders, mask mandates, unprecedented vaccine drives and economic uncertainty, cities across the United States are beginning to emerge in the pandemic’s aftermath, and they’re prioritizing infrastructure, according to a report published Wednesday by the National League of Cities (NLC).  “The new normal, as we now understand it, is here,” […]
  • FirstNet Authority CTO highlights coverage-extension efforts as initial Band 14 buildout nears completion
    With AT&T almost done deploying the initial contracted FirstNet 700 MHz Band 14 infrastructure, the FirstNet Authority increasingly is focusing on solutions that will let public-safety users access the nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN) when outside of terrestrial system, according to FirstNet officials. FirstNet Authority CTO Jeff Bratcher said that NPSBN contractor AT&T repeatedly has […]
  • Cities Connecting Children to Nature initiative adds 15 new cities to program
    Researchers have correlated access to nature with positive impacts like lower stress and anxiety, leading to higher academic achievement, increased emotional learning, stronger social connections, better self esteem, and a greater sense of environmental stewardship. But in today’s built environment, where concrete and brick dominate landscapes, nature is often a car drive or train ride away—and […]

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

  • End of the line for lead pipes? Let’s make it happen
  • Trail maintenance program set to be replenished, expanded under infrastructure bill
  • Bipartisan infrastructure bill approved by the House; vote on social spending package delayed
  • Reconciliation package builds on Rescue Plan, bipartisan bill, targets climate change and social needs

White papers


How to Assemble a Rockstar Website Redesign Steering Committee

7th June 2022

Hand Hygiene: Compliance Matters

23rd May 2022

What it Takes to Build a Winning Esports Program

23rd May 2022
view all

Events


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

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Report: Local and state governments are facing a retention crisis; the worst could be yet to come dlvr.it/SSnmS7

24th June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Amid an unprecedented increase in federal spending, cities and counties stand to benefit from partnerships dlvr.it/SSkGBn

23rd June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Governments using technology to harness data and improve decision-making dlvr.it/SSk3H0

23rd June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Infrastructure highlighted by city leaders as top priority in analysis of 60 mayoral addresses dlvr.it/SSgBck

22nd June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Oklahoma City puts the focus on employees when implementing changes in office technology dlvr.it/SSfyns

22nd June 2022
AmerCityCounty

We want to hear from you! Please take this brief survey and let us know how your organization is managing your budg… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

22nd June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Buying smart solutions: Technology is now part of (almost) every government purchase dlvr.it/SSbj3Z

21st June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Amid tech labor shortage, outsourcing digital services could provide relief dlvr.it/SSbj23

21st June 2022

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”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 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.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X