Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Chapter 90 (roads) Update from MMA


Chapter 90 (roads) Update from MMA
( Mass Municipal Association)
April 1, 2013
                                                LEGISLATIVE PANEL ADVANCES $300M CH. 90 BILL
HOUSE VOTE COULD COME THIS WEEK
PLEASE CALL ALL YOUR LEGISLATORS TODAY
Late last Friday afternoon, with the April 1 notification date for Chapter 90 quickly approaching, the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation voted to approve a one-year $300 million Chapter 90 bond bill.  Essentially, the one-year bill has been separated from the main transportation bond bill filed earlier in March by the Governor.  A version of the Governor’s measure, which includes $300 million a year for Chapter 90 for the next ten years, indexed to inflation, is expected to begin advancing through the process within the next two weeks, but legislators are mindful that Chapter 90 funds must be approved before cities and towns can begin construction projects that depend on the funding, and they are anxious to avoid a delay similar to last year’s lengthy process that stalled the construction season for communities across the state.  That is why the Transportation Committee has advanced a one-year, stand-alone Chapter 90 bill now.

The House could take up the $300 million Chapter 90 bill as early as Wednesday, April 3, which is the date of the next full formal session.  PLEASE CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES TODAY AND URGE THEM TO VOTE IN FAVOR OF $300 MILLION FOR CHAPTER 90 WHEN THE HOUSE MEETS ON WEDNESDAY. 
The Senate has tentatively scheduled a full formal session for Thursday, April 4, and conceivably could consider the legislation on that day, if Senate leaders choose to bring it to the floor immediately instead of sending it to a Senate committee, which could delay the bill, which is what occurred last year.  PLEASE CALL YOUR SENATORS TODAY AND URGE THEM TO VOTE IN FAVOR OF THE $300 MILLION CHAPTER 90 BILL ON THURSDAY IF THE HOUSE APPROVES IT ON WEDNESDAY.
When you speak with your Representatives and Senators, please thank them for increasing funding for Chapter 90 to $300 million a year (up from the current $200 million).  This increase is essential to repair crumbling local roads.  An MMA study in December revealed that communities are facing a $362 million funding gap between current Chapter 90 funding and the amount necessary to bring local roads up to a state of good repair, the industry standard.  Cities and towns will immediately put increases in Chapter 90 to work, repairing local roads, creating jobs, and strengthening local economies.
The House of Representatives will be drafting its own multi-year transportation finance package within the next two weeks, and could be debating it as separate legislation early in April, before the House considers the state budget.  The MMA strongly supports passage of a large ($800 million to $1 billion a year) multi-year package to fully address the transportation needs of the Commonwealth, including Chapter 90 (at $300 million a year, indexed to grow with inflation), funding for the regional transit and MBTA agencies, funding for the statewide road and bridge program, and addressing key reforms and funding shortfalls.  The Association supports the revenues necessary to pay for the transportation reform legislation, and we urge you to tell your legislators that you will also support the taxes to pay for Chapter 90 and other needed increases.
• PLEASE STRESS THAT INCREASING CHAPTER 90 FUNDING IS THE BEST, MOST EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT WAY TO ENSURE REGIONAL EQUITY, AND GUARANTEE THAT EVERY CITY AND TOWN WILL BENEFIT FROM THE LEGISLATION.
• LET YOUR LEGISLATORS KNOW THAT YOU WILL SUPPORT A COMPREHENSIVE TRANSPORTATION FINANCE PACKAGE THAT FIXES TODAY’S FUNDING CRISIS, AND YOU WILL SUPPORT THE TAX REVENUES NECESSARY TO FUND IT.
• AND REMIND YOUR LAWMAKERS THAT CITIES AND TOWNS MAINTAIN 90% OF THE ROADS IN MASSACHUSETTS, AND FUNDING CHAPTER 90 IS THE BEST WAY TO REPAIR THE CRUMBLING ROADWAYS THAT TAXPAYERS DRIVE ON EVERY DAY.
HERE ARE MORE DETAILS TO DISCUSS WHEN YOU SPEAK WITH YOUR LEGISLATORS:
• Cities and towns are responsible for 30,000 miles of roads in Massachusetts, and Chapter 90 funding must be increased to prevent these roads from deteriorating and crumbling.  Economists and transportation experts all agree – cities and towns must have enough funds to maintain and rebuild local roads so that we can build a stronger economy, create jobs, ensure safe roadways, and enhance our quality of life;
• Funding for local roads across the state is dangerously low, and now is the time to invest – the more we delay, the more this will cost taxpayers in the long run.  The MMA and local officials across the state are calling for a $100 million increase in annual Chapter 90 funding, asking state leaders to commit to $300 million a year over the next 5 years to help close the gap and get local roadways in Massachusetts much closer to the good repair standard;
• Chapter 90 funding is the most reliable, appropriate and effective way to close the local transportation funding gap and invest in improved roadways in all communities across the state;
• The state created the Chapter 90 program in 1973 to share a portion of gas tax revenues with communities to ensure adequate resources for local road construction needs.  But 40 years later, funding for the Chapter 90 program is far short of the actual need, because construction costs have escalated sharply, in great part due to significant increases in the cost of fossil fuels, which drives up the price of construction materials such as asphalt and steel; 
• Investing more in Chapter 90 funding to improve the quality of local roads will actually save taxpayers millions of dollars a year.  According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, once a local road is in a state of good repair, every $1 dollar invested to keep it properly maintained will save $6 to $10 dollars in avoided repair costs that become necessary to rebuild the road when it fails;
• Under Proposition 2½, cities and towns are unable to increase the amount of local funds to supplement Chapter 90 unless they cut other important services such as public safety or education, or pass a tax override, increasing local reliance on the already overburdened property tax; and 
• The MMA and local officials across the state are also members of the broad coalition of stakeholders calling for a comprehensive state and local transportation finance plan, recognizing that the entire Commonwealth will benefit greatly from increased revenues to invest in local and state roadways and highways, and regional and mass transit systems.
PLEASE CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS TODAY AND ASK THEM TO VOTE FOR THE $300 MILLION CHAPTER 90 BILL.
                                                            THANK YOU VERY MUCH!


Senator Stephen Brewer     617-722-1540     Barre Office 978-355-2444
Senator Jennifer Flanagan   617-722-1230    Leominster Office 978-534-3388
Rep. Denise Andrews           617-722-2460
Rep. Brian Zlotnik                617-722-2080


Julie Farrell

7 comments:

  1. Good info to know. Thanks for keeping us informed!

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    1. This information is good to know. Without chapter 90 funds, we would be riding on dirt roads, not too long from now. The people in this town could never afford to do this work on our own. If we do not take this money, someone else will. Good job Julie!! Bev.

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  2. Living in East Templeton I don't think it is fair for all the road money to be used on the Backbay projects for so many years in a row. I hope if Pauly gets in he can make things a little fairer for other parts of town. Can anybody tell me if that article at Templeton Times is accurate?

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    1. The Ch. 90 money for Back Bay was in conjunction with the CDBG grant from the state which has certain qualification requirements including a resident income requirement. No selectman had anything to do with getting work done in one part of town versus another with this money. Now that the Back Bay project is coming to a close (one project that actually got finished in town), now the town can look for another project that will qualify for the CDBG grant as well as using the Ch 90 money (if we even get any this coming year) to focus on other road projects.

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  3. Just as an FYI, selectmen do vote on whether to apply for the funds of CDBG. They do vote to have the paperwork drawn up and they do vote to say allow chairman to sign. By voting to apply for the grant they then commit chapter 90 funds for those projects as well. Certainly no selectmen calls up the highway dept and directs them to go repave this road or that sidewalk but selectmen do have something to do with when and where CDBG grant money is spent. Just a clarification on the above statement. I hope people realize that backbay did not just magically happen, someone had to begin the process and discuss an area or specific project and that was your selectmen. A blanket statement that "no selectmen had anything to do with work being done with the aid of CDBG funds" is very misleading. Because after all, who in town will go look for another project that will qualify for CDGB funding, and what body of governance will initiate that process? mmmmmm.

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    1. Maybe that policy should change . Giving the highway dept. a little more direction as to what to do and more importantly what NOT to do with MY money .Im not saying there all bad ,However they could use some guidance .

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  4. The process for repairing roads in the past has been that the Hwy Supt. submits a list of roads for BO'S consideration. Once the BOS has the list of roads, they discuss it at a public meeting and vote which roads to repair.

    The roads in ET that were repaired, we're voted on by the BOS. I recall the water department was not very happy about that vote. In fact, I remember the manager of Light and Water saying he would send the town a bill for any water mains that were broken when those roads were repaired. That was before the multiple water main breaks on July 14, 2012.

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