AgdaPkt 2009-02-23 clsd and reg - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

8A Page 2 'Economy' Continued from Page 1... Majority Leader Harry Reid expressed cautious optimism that the Senate vote will happen later today, with a firm deadline of Sunday. Once the Senate passes the bill, it will go to the conference committee where a small committee will reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions. House and Senate leadership are still hopeful that they will send the flnal bill to the President by the end of next week. Federal Transportation Agencies Release Online Guides In the meantime, federal agencies are gearing up to process and distribute the funds quickly. This week, the Department of Transportation announced that it created a team to oversee transportation infrastructure spending in the economic stimulus package. The team will work to make funds available quickly, craft reporting standards for accurate monitoring, and ensure that all transparency and accountability standards are met. Transportation agencies, including the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FT A), have already posted online guides on how to speed the pace of transportation spending. The FHWA spending guidance is available at htto:/Iwww.fhwa.dot.Qov/economicrecoverv/index.htm. FT A's guidance can be found at http://www.fta.dot.oovJindex 9118.html. 'Hearings' Continued from Page 1... League First Vice President Ken Cooley, vice mayor of the city of Rancho Cordova, provided the lead testimony for the League detailing the many difficult budget conditions that cities are facing across the state. Cooley was joined on a panel of city officials by Scott Nassif, president of the League's Desert Mountain Division and mayor pro tem 'of the town of Apple Valley, and Tony Santos, mayor, city of San Leandro. Also attending the hearing to provide a brief overview for new committee members on the basics of city and county finance was League fiscal policy advisor Michael Coleman. Cooley and the other city representatives detailed the service cuts and layoffs cities are making to cope with the economic downturn, and highlighted the importance in protecting local funding for services and infrastructure. Two witnesses also appeared on behalf of the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) to deriver remarks. The committee members, led by Assembly Member Anna Caballero (0-28, Salinas), chair of the Local Government Committee and Assembly Member Juan Arambula (0-31 ,Fresno), chair of the Budget Subcommittee #4 on State Administration, asked questions and relayed their concerns about local budget conditions. They also asked the city and county representatives for their suggestions to help alleviate cities' fiscal difficulties and ways to stimulate local economies. In response, Cooley said that having the state adopt a budget quickly that addressed the state"s deficit without taking more local revenue that would compound local budget difficulties was the most important step. Cooley also advocated for the expedited release of the infrastructure bond funds, protecting funding for redevelopment agencies, and not passing any new mandates on local government, including those that expected locals to recover their costs by levying additional fees. These themes were echoed by other witnesses. Nassif also shared several ideas from cities in the League's Desert Mountain Division, which included having transportation projects selected at the county level rather than by the California Department of Transportation and temporarily suspending the costs associated with AB 32 and SB 375. Santos advocated for restoring the Vehicle License Fee. The hearing ended on a positive note with committee members stating their appreciation for the discussion and looking forward to working with the League and CSAC on measures which could relieve costs and limit additional mandates on local government. At the Assembly Transportation Committee hearing, Wayne Lewis, assistant Public Works director for the city of Fairfield represented the League. Lewis shared with the committee, chaired by Assembly Member Mike Eng (0-49 Monterey Park), the many challenges cities face when there is no predictable funding for transportation. The committee discussed the .need for a permanent, protected funding source for maintenance for highways and local streets and roads. Several of the new committee members expressed their support and appreciation for what cities are doing to adjust during these difficult fiscal times. The committee members also stated their interest in receiving suggestions from cities on speeding up project delivery. 2