Last year during the 2006 US Conference of Mayors in Las Vegas, NV, I introduced a resolution requesting an increased Federal role in the assessment, development, and financing of critical national infrastructure (Resolution PDF).  After contemplating our nation’s financial priorities and juxtaposing that with a comprehensive report card for America’s infrastructure developed by the American Society of Civil Engineers (www.asce.org), I was determined to bring this issue to the table for Mayors from all across the country to consider.  Not only was the average grade a “D,” or poor, for all the nation’s infrastructure including aviation, bridges, dams, drinking water, energy, hazardous waste, navigable waterways, public parks and recreation, rail, roads, schools, security, solid waste, transit and wastewater (click here for Arkansas summary report), but the estimates for maintaining that “D” average (not improving, just maintaining) exceed existing revenue streams at all levels of government.  Moreover, the Federal government continues to hand down mandates related to maintaining and expanding infrastructure but fail to provide the funding necessary to successfully respond to those mandates.  This is creating a squeeze on local government budgets, and we’ve been feeling that squeeze for some time in Fayetteville.

While the growth in Fayetteville has slowed, we are still fortunate to be living in a thriving area where jobs are plentiful and the economy is stable.  We’re surrounded by abundant natural resources, and our community has been blessed with an entrepreneurial spirit.  It is clear, however, that this prosperity has come with a price.  The growth and development we’ve witnessed over the last fifteen to twenty years has placed a tremendous strain on our local infrastructure, particularly our transportation, water and sewer systems.  We have responded with two major infrastructure improvement projects including the Wastewater System Improvement Project and the Transportation Improvement Project, both overwhelmingly supported by Fayetteville voters in the September 2006 bond election.  However, we must recognize, that as these systems grow, we cannot expect our city-run utilities to operate on the same level of funding year after year.  Inflation in the construction industry alone has made that an impossible feat. 

Lately we’ve been able to see first-hand the tragedy that occurs when our infrastructure is not properly maintained.  The Federal government must understand that local revenue sources simply cannot hold up this nation’s infrastructure.  We need Congress to respond immediately with short term measures such as flexible tolling provisions, expansion of policy that encourages the use of public-private partnerships to stimulate more private investment in the system.  Moreover, we need a thorough examination of the transportation funding system (including earmarks) and the development of a funding structure that is progressive and sustainable.  I read just today that the highway trust fund may have overextended itself to the point that it cannot meet current obligations made to states and cities for 2009.  If this happens, it would have a direct impact on Fayetteville and our federally funded mall area street improvements.

We have a lot on our plate right now and even more critical issues coming down the pike. From an infrastructure perspective, the Citizens of Fayetteville are doing more than their fair share to secure the future of the city’s critical infrastructure.  We need all levels of government, federal, state, and local, to work in concert.  We need the federal government to reevaluate its priorities and immediately address the failing infrastructure in this country.  Here at the street-level, we’ll continue to push ahead reaching toward our goals and realizing our vision for a progressive, sustainable, mobile city.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 20th, 2007 at 3:44 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.