ECONOMIC

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Can a Transportation Funding
Package Pass in 2017?
The League recently participated
in a meeting of legislative leaders
and transportation stakeholders
hosted by Governor Brown. She
outlined a commitment to passing a
transportation funding package in the
2017 legislative session. Several legislators
articulated the urgent need to pass
such a bill, and a joint legislative committee
was scheduled to meet at the
end of May during legislative days.
The Oregon Transportation Commission
and the joint legislative committee
will be touring the state this summer to
conduct public hearings. It is imperative
that city officials attend those
hearings and testify to share the transportation
needs of their communities.
The last infusion of transportation
funding occurred in 2009. That transportation
funding helped, but funding
still falls far short of what is needed to
keep up with maintenance and repair,
much less new construction to meet the
impacts of population and commerce
growth. As reported in the League’s
latest State of the Cities report, cities
continue to defer road maintenance
and repair due to a funding shortfall
of more than $300 million per year.
Meanwhile, maintenance and materials
costs continue to increase.
A transportation package was not
passed in the 2016 session for a number
of reasons. Some of those impediments
to passage still exist. Failure to
address transportation infrastructure
needs will negatively impact current
economic activity, as well as opportunities
for economic growth. We would
call upon legislators in both parties to
find common ground upon which to
remove impediments to a transportation
funding package that will reduce
the underfunding of the lifeblood of
Oregon’s economy.
Returning to the need for city officials
to participate in this process—unless
many cities tell their stories about
needs in their communities, city needs
may be under-appreciated and a transportation
funding package might fail
to proportionately address city needs.
Cities are an integral part of the state’s
transportation system and the maintenance,
repair and upgrading of city
roads do impact the transportation system
more than may be fully appreciated
by those allocating state funding.
See page 6 for the schedule of
transportation public hearings.
Mike McCauley,
Executive Director
It is imperative
that city officials
attend [the]
hearings and
testify to share
the transportation
needs of their
communities.
“
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www.orcities.org
June 2016 | LOCAL FOCUS
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