MAPC Municipal ARRA Briefing

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• MAPC Municipal ARRA Briefing
• Boston, MA
• Monday, April 27, 2009
• Shannon Menard, Policy Manager, NARC

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What is NARC?

• National non-profit membership trade organization
• Represents multi-jurisdictional regional planning
  organizations - COGs, MPOs, LDDs, RPOs large
  and small, urban and rural
• Members like MAPC
• Formed by NACo and NLC to address regionally
  based challenges and produce solutions

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What is NARC?

• Governed by local elected officials
• NARC President Hon. Steve Cassano, Selectman,
  Town of Manchester, CT
• Concentrate on four core areas
• Transportation
• Economic Community Development
• Homeland Security/Public Safety
• Environment

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Economic Recovery Formation

• NARC testified before the House TI committee
  10/29
• Worked in concert with NACo, NLC and USCM and
  other partners
• Spoke with both Congress and the New
  Administration
• Stimulus Snapshot report over 24B
  infrastructure investment needed
• Continual and up-to-date information analysis and
  sharing
• NARC Economic Recovery website
• www.narc.org

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Economic Recovery Formation

• NARC supported
• Increasing EDA, environment/energy,
  transportation, etc. funding
• Funding water and wastewater projects through
  100 direct grants, not loans.
• Including all proven housing programs, i.e. CDBG
  and Neighborhood Stabilization
• Supporting funding drilled down to the local
  level through current programs and formulas,
  ensuring regions and local governments get direct
  allocations.
• Requiring States to engage with local governments
  urban and rural in project selection
• Ensuring reasonable and attainable timeframes to
  obligate and report on project funding
• Including local governments and local elected
  officials as partners in the recovery process

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Economic Recovery Formation

• Why these mechanisms/outcomes?
• Maintains mechanisms in current law
• Congress stressed this aspect
• Reinforces the federal/local partnership with
  allocations to large, medium and small regions
• Intends to drill down to the local level
• Highlights the accountability, transparency and
  filling real need

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American Recovery Reinvestment Act

• President Obama signed ARRA into law 2/17/2009,
  Denver, CO
• 787 billion in total federal aide
• Mix of tax cuts and direct federal spending

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Tax Provisions Snapshot

• Recovery Zone Bonds
• Like empowerment zones
• Energy Bond Provisions
• 1.6 billion in new "clean renewable energy
  bonds
• 2.4 billion more of qualified energy
  conservation bonds
• Options for State and Local Governments to Issue
  Tax-Credit Bonds House Senate
• Build America Bonds
• State and local governments with a new tax credit
  bond option for new capital projects.

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Local Provisions Snapshot

• TRANSPORTATION
• 27.5B highway
• 30 suballocated to regions and localities
• 8.4B transit
• ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
• 150M EDA
• 1B CDBG
• 2B Neighborhood Stabilization Program
• 3.95B Workforce Investment Act Training and
  Employment Services
• 2.5B Rural Broadband Infrastructure Development
• ENVIRONMENT
• 1.38B Rural Water Waste Disposal Direct
  loans/grants
• 3.2B Energy Efficiency Conservation Block
  Grants (EECBG)
• 4B CWSRF 2B DWSRF
• 100M Brownfields

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National Snapshot

• State, local and regional ARRA experiences range
  from very collaborative to not collaborative at
  all
• Connecticut DOT hasnt engaged the regions at all
  
• Missouri DOT engaged the MPOs only after
  information was leaked to local newspapers
• FL holding regular meetings with COGs and MPOs
  as well as municipalities
• TX met regularly with COGs and municipalities to
  prioritize projects
• Regional and Local leadership highlighted in many
  examples lots of public involvement in some
  cases
• Many ARRA Czars to handle recovery efforts and
  act as a point of contact

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Regional Example - CA

• California - An example unlike any other
• CAs state law further redistributes federal
  transportation money
• CA State Legislature contemplating further
  legislation to handle ARRA
• Caltrans has been actively engaging the MPOs and
  rural areas since 11/08, but theyre required to
  by State law
• CA following all of the normal processes for
  public comment, NEPA, etc.

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Regional Example Kansas City

• MARC has been maintaining a public database of
  projects since 12/08
• Publicized on their webpage (much like is called
  for under ARRAs reporting requirements)
• Received many comments from public
• Including citizens in process

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Audience Participation

• How are MA municipalities being included?
• Are you involved in the process?
• Is there a good mix of rural and urban?
• What is the initial reaction to monies spent?
• SHARE YOUR STORY!

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Where do we go from here?

• Budget Resolution Appropriations
• Transportation Authorization SAFETEA-LU expires
  September 2009
• Climate Change Waxman-Markey bill
• EDA Reauthorization
• Livable Communities initiative
• Water Wastewater funding bill(s)

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• Questions?
• Comments?

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• Economic Recovery Discussions Continue

Please Join Us!
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National Association of Regional
Councils202-986-1032 (T) 202-986-1038 (F)
www.NARC.org
THANK YOU !
For more information, please contact
Shannon Menard Policy Manager shannon_at_NARC.org, X
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