Transportation Committees to Hear from Local Government Advocates

The Senate Transportation and Public Safety Committee and the House Transportation Finance Committee are planning to hold hearings focused on local transportation needs on Feb. 11 and Feb. 13, respectively.
(Published Feb 1, 2013)

The Senate Transportation and Public Safety Committee and the House Transportation Finance Committee are planning to hold hearings focused on local transportation needs on Feb. 11 and Feb. 13, respectively. They have invited the League to present information about the components of the local transportation system, as well as related funding mechanisms.

The League views the hearings as good opportunities to make the following points:
• Application of municipal state aid (MSA) is limited due to the 5,000 population eligibility requirement.
• 84% of city streets are not on the MSA system.
• Special assessments are becoming increasingly difficult to administer due to their unpopularity as well as the benefit test required by law.
• There is a strong correlation between local funding constraints and deferred maintenance on local roads and bridges.
• At the present time, there is an over-reliance on property taxes to fund transportation infrastructure.
• The League supports state investments in a statewide multimodal system.
• Transportation infrastructure investments are essential to economic growth and stability.

The hearings will be held as follows:

Senate Transportation and Public Safety Committee Monday, Feb. 11, 2013 3:00 p.m. Room 15, Capitol

House Transportation Finance Committee Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013 10:00 a.m. Room 5, State Office Building

The League encourages members to contact legislators about local transportation needs.

Questions? Contact Anne Finn at afinn@lmc.org or at (651)281-1263.

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