AWC was invited to participate in a work session on local infrastructure in front of Senate Ways & Means Committee on Thursday Febraury 9, with AWC board member and Public Works Board member KC Kuykendall presenting for the Public Works Board and Carl Schroeder presenting for AWC. We were encouraged by the level of interest and engagement from committee members. Securing state funding for local infrastructure is still a steep uphill battle and cities who care about maintaining some semblance of the Public Works Trust Fund (PWTF) need to be in regular communication with their legislators. One theme that seems to be resonating with legislators is that the loan repayment dollars can either be a one-time shot in the arm to the Operating Budget, or a permanent base to rebuild a smarter and more effective infrastructure funding program.
The House Capital Budget Committee will have a public hearing on a number of infrastructure bills on Tuesday February 14 including the AWC’s reform proposal, HB 1677. If you would like to share your needs with the committee, this is a great opportunity. Please contact Carl Schroeder so we can help with talking points or coordination.