March 8, 2017
ALBANY, NY – The “Local Roads Matter” advocacy campaign returned to the State Capitol on Wednesday, as 137 state legislators from both parties, organized by State Senator Tom O’Mara (R, Big Flats) and Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R, Corning), joined county and town highway superintendents and other local leaders from across New York to call for increased state support for local roads, bridges and culverts. Almost 65% of the State Legislature’s entire membership was there.
(Assemblyman Phil Palmesano)
O’Mara, Palmesano. Assemblyman Joe Errigo and other state legislators, county and town highway superintendents, and other local leaders called for increasing state base aid for the Consolidated Highway Improvement Program, commonly known as CHIPS, by $150 million to a total of $588.1 million in the 2017-2018 state budget. They are also seeking an additional $50 million annually, beginning in the 2017-18 fiscal year, for the local portion of the BRIDGE-NY program. The current state budget includes $400 million in BRIDGE-NY funding to help localities undertake bridge and culvert rehabilitation and replacement projects.
In a joint statement, O’Mara and Palmesano said, “We’re grateful that the ‘Local Roads Matter’ campaign continues to grow, and gain support and success. Now more than ever, New York State must support a steady, strong, multi-year strategy to address local transportation infrastructure and help build a local transportation system that our communities, motorists and taxpayers deserve. Local governments face increasingly difficult fiscal constraints due to the tax cap and long-stagnant state aid to municipalities. CHIPS, PAVE-NY and BRIDE-NY funding is fundamentally important to local economic development. The two lawmakers say that it creates local jobs through the hiring of local contractors and local workers. Every additional dollar of state support means a dollar less of responsibility for local property taxpayers. It’s an investment in economic growth, job creation and property tax relief throughout New York State.”
