Local Leaders Speak Out Against Governor's Proposed Cuts To State Aid For Local Roads And Bridges

[TTL News 308]

Big Flats - State Senator Tom O’Mara (R,C-Big Flats), Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C-Corning), Assemblyman Chris Friend (R,C-Big Flats), Elmira Mayor Dan Mandell and other local leaders today rejected Governor Hochul’s cuts in critical state funding for local roads and bridges in her proposed 2024-25 state budget.

At a news conference in Big Flats, the group also called on the governor and the Democrat leaders of the state Legislature to restore the proposed cuts and keep strengthening New York’s commitment to local transportation infrastructure. 

O’Mara, Palmesano, and Friend are once again being joined this year by their Republican colleagues in the Senate and Assembly to highlight their opposition to Hochul’s slashing of local transportation aid, particularly a proposed $60-million cut for the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS), the state’s primary source of funding for local roads, bridges, and culverts.

In a February 14, 2024 letter to Hochul and legislative leaders, O’Mara, Palmesano, Friend and their colleagues wrote, in part, “We once again stress that New York State's direct investment in local roads and bridges through CHIPS remains fundamental. It deserves priority consideration in the final allocation of state infrastructure investment in the budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year. CHIPS is the key difference for local communities, economies, governments, motorists, and taxpayers throughout the Empire State, including New York City and surrounding metro areas, and we cannot ignore this fact, especially this year. It is warranted. Local governments, for the foreseeable future, will continue to struggle to address budgetary demands in the face of the state-imposed property tax cap, rising pension, health care and highway construction costs, and unfunded state mandates, among other burdens.”

Legislators and local roads advocates statewide have been critical of Hochul’s proposal for failing to recognize the enormous impact inflation is having on the costs of construction and, consequently, on the budgets of local highway departments. Nationally, according to the Federal Highway Administration’s Highway Construction Cost Index, highway construction costs since 2022 have increased by nearly 60 percent. These unprecedented cost increases alone make the Governor’s proposal is unacceptable.

They also criticize the Hochul plan for failing to achieve the goals of equitability, fairness, and parity in transportation funding for the upstate and downstate regions of New York, noting that the Governor’s proposed budget includes a $100-million reduction (including the $60-million cut in CHIPS funding) to local road, bridge, and culvert funding for the third year of the five-year, Department of Transportation (DOT) Capital Plan.

As Hochul and the Democrat leaders of the Senate and Assembly approach negotiations over a final 2024-25 state budget scheduled to be in place by April 1, O’Mara, Palmesano, Friend and their legislative colleagues are calling for this year’s final budget to restore Hochul’s proposed $60-million cut to CHIPS base aid and then increase the CHIPS base funding level by $200 million to a total of $798.1 million.

“The cut in Consolidated Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) funding in the Governor’s current 2025 budget proposal comes at a time where costs are rising to pave and maintain local roads," said Elmira Mayor Dan Mandell. "I urge the Governor not to cut funding as this would create a hardship on the City of Elmira in our efforts to maintain and repair our roads.”

ob Eastwood, Town of Van Etten Highway Superintendent and President of the Chemung County and Town Highway Superintendents Association, said, “Stronger state investments in recent years to our local highway departments through CHIPS and other programs have made an enormous difference. If this critical source of support gets pulled out from under us now, at a time when construction costs have never been higher, it would be a real crisis for many local departments with budgets that are already stretched thin.”

Since 2013, O’Mara, Palmesano and Friend have built a coalition of support within the state Legislature and worked closely with local transportation advocates from throughout New York on the “Local Roads Are Essential” advocacy campaign annually sponsored by the New York State Association of County Highway Superintendents (NYSCHSA) and the New York State Association of Town Superintendents of Highways, Inc. (NYSAOTSOH). The campaign brings hundreds of local transportation advocates to Albany in early March to rally support. 

The latest analysis by the New York State Association of Town Superintendents of Highways has found that the local highway system outside of New York City faces an annual funding gap of over $2 billion.

[Rod 18]

we really are getting an early spring Chris freind didnt see his shadow either looks like

[Ann 264]

This will definitely hurt the budget for many smaller municipalities.

[Chris 2,162]

29 minutes ago, Ann said:

This will definitely hurt the budget for many smaller municipalities.

Ours will be absolutely screwed, and that's putting it mildly. 

[Hal 341]

8 hours ago, Rod said:

we really are getting an early spring Chris freind didnt see his shadow either looks like

Yep , now he can disappear again ! 
Interestingly enough an inside joke has it that if someone mentions Chris Friend the response is … Who ?! 

[Adam 373]

9 hours ago, Chris said:

Ours will be absolutely screwed, and that's putting it mildly. 

its around 200k they actual put in the budget every year. if it dont come from the State, itll come out of the residents' pockets....well most of 'em anyways. Wonder how folks will feel about paying for salaries and services they dont get then

[Hal 341]

Funny but not too funny that if CHIPS goes away we will have a couple town representatives wandering ( more than usual )  blindly in circles looking to shake no one’s hand for no reason … think Biden shaking hands with ghosts !