Michigan Municipal League Applauds Infrastructure Plan Approved in U.S. Senate

Dan Gilmartin, MML

Michigan Municipal League released a statement earlier this week about the U.S. Senate approving a $1 trillion plan to address the nation’s infrastructure needs. The statement is from Dan Gilmartin, the League’s CEO and Executive Director.

Here is the statement we sent out to the media:

“The Michigan Municipal League applauds the U.S. Senate’s vote today approving the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This investment takes a critical step toward ensuring access to safe roads, clean drinking water, reliable public transit, and high-speed broadband across Michigan and the nation. We implore the House to act quickly so these resources can be deployed. Bold action must continue in our effort to strengthen communities and improve the quality of life for residents. Congressional leaders should continue to work toward providing resources that support communities, address our housing needs, invest in our workforce, and foster sustainable and resilient places. It is time to meet this challenge and fully realize our nation’s enormous capacity to equitably invest in community wealth building, and we are ready and willing to add our voice to the process.”

For additional information, contact the League’s Matt Bach, assistant director of strategic communications, at (810) 874-1073 (cell) and mbach@mml.org.

Michigan Municipal League is dedicated to making Michigan’s communities better by thoughtfully innovating programs, energetically connecting ideas and people, actively serving members with resources and services, and passionately inspiring positive change for Michigan’s greatest centers of potential: its communities. The League advocates on behalf of its member communities in Lansing, Washington, D.C., and the courts; provides educational opportunities for elected and appointed municipal officials; and assists municipal leaders in administering services to their communities through League programs and services. Learn more at mml.org.

 

League President and Westland Mayor Bill Wild Meets with U.S. Energy Secretary Granholm About American Jobs Plan

Westland Mayor Bill Wild, MML President, and Grand Rapids Mayor Bliss, former MML President, met with U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm Friday about the American Jobs Plan.

Westland Mayor and Michigan Municipal League Board President Bill Wild met with U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm Friday about the American Jobs Plan.

The meeting was organized by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Mayor Wild, along with Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss, former League Board President, gave a presentation to the Energy Secretary. There is language within the $2.3 trillion Jobs Plan to support clean energy bock grants for state, local and tribal governments. The mayors were in support of this provision, Wild said.

“We are pushing to reauthorize the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant from 2009 and not try to create a new block Grant. The data is already available and the results are proven that it met the goals of the program and created/saved jobs,” Mayor Wild said.

President Biden recently announced the American Jobs Plan to rebuild the economy and create good-paying jobs for workers in America’s cities, towns and villages through investments in infrastructure and workforce development.

The League has advocated for additional investment in infrastructure in the traditional sense (roads, bridges, water, and sewer), but also in a more broad-based community infrastructure view (broadband, housing, parks and workforce development). This plan addresses many of those areas. Read more about the Jobs Plan in this Inside 208 post by the League’s John LaMacchia.

‘Rebuild With Us’ Effort Showing Signs of Hope Today in Congress

After months of keeping persistent and saying “Rebuild With Us” by the National League of Cities members and supporters, the U.S. House Democrats today released a plan to support the nation’s infrastructure. Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced an infrastructure bill this morning. The House is releasing their new infrastructure framework today (Jan. 29, 2020). Livestream of the press conference is available here.

This framework is the opening salvo for the House transportation reauthorization of the FAST Act. The early sneak peek of the transportation framework NLC officials saw highlights investing in communities, working with cities and regional transportation organizations, and it speaks to the NLC’s 2020 Cities Agenda on Sustainable Infrastructure. The biggest win of note – it also looks like there is some fantastic language on expanding local control over federal funds, which the NLC has been chatting with the Committee about with your help. Overall, this puts us in a good starting position on the FAST Act reauthorization.

Here is the NLC’s support statement:

The National League of Cities has called on Congress to step up their infrastructure efforts and rebuild together with local leaders. Today’s announcement of an infrastructure framework by the House infrastructure committees is great news for residents and communities across America,” said NLC President Joe Buscaino, Councilmember, Los Angeles, California. “Cities, towns and villages are ready to partner with Congress to bring a bold vision for transportation networks, water needs, and to invest in the skilled workforce needed to rebuild and re-imagine the infrastructure in our communities. We must invest in our country and our people by building up the places that we call ‘home,’ and we applaud Chairmen DeFazio, Neal and Pallone for leading with urgency.”

There will also be a key Ways and Means hearing on infrastructure funding at 1:30 p.m. EST today which you can watch here. Additionally, Republican Transportation Committee leads have also released their principles for reauthorization, which is a good start to bipartisanship with both majority and minority putting their goals out.

Dan Gilmartin Testifies Before U.S. Congress Committee on Infrastructure Problem

Daniel Gilmartin testifies on the poor state of infrastructure and transportation issues in Michigan and across the nation on Tuesday, March 13, 2018, before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

Daniel Gilmartin testifies on the poor state of infrastructure and transportation issues in Michigan and across the nation on Tuesday, March 13, 2018, before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

NEW: Media coverage on Dan Gilmartin’s testimony:

Detroit Free Press: “Michigan’s Lousy Roads: Congressional Panel Get an Earful” and same article on Wopular.

WJR Radio: Paul W. Smith Talks with Dan Gilmartin from Washington D.C.

Dave Aklery Show on WILS Radio 1320: “Dan Gilmartin

News Talk 94.9 WSJM: “Municipal League Wants Federal Infrastructure Money” and same piece in 97.5 Y Country

Town Crier Wire: “Municipal League Wants Federal Infrastructure Money

U.S. House of Representative: Meeting Minutes

View photos from Michigan Municipal League members in D.C. this week for the Congressional City Conference.

Dan Gilmartin, CEO and executive director of the Michigan Municipal League, gave stirring testimony about the poor condition of the nation’s roads, bridges and infrastructure before a Congressional Senate committee Tuesday in Washington D.C. Dan even got in an “Animal House” movie reference during an exchange with Congressional leaders.

Gilmartin testified in a hearing titled, “Rebuilding Infrastructure in America: State and Local Transportation Needs” before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. His testimony was on behalf of the National League of Cities, which this week is hosting the Congressional Cities Conference in D.C. Other speakers included Kyle Schneweis, Director, Nebraska Department of Transportation; Jordan Kass, President, Managed Services, TMC Division, C.H. Robinson; Jo Strang, Senior Vice President, Safety and Regulatory Policy, American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association.

An outline of Gilmartin’s comments are below and among his most impactful comments came during the question and answer portion of the hearing when Gilmartin fielded questions from U.S. Senators, including U.S. Senator Gary Peters, D-Michigan.

Dan Gilmartin - CEO and Executive Director of the Michigan Municipal League

Dan Gilmartin – CEO and Executive Director of the Michigan Municipal League

The poor condition of Michigan’s infrastructure is a key issue for the Michigan Municipal League and it’s SaveMICity municipal finance reform initiative. Having a strong vibrant infrastructure is essential to creating places and communities where people want to live, work and play, Gilmartin said.

“Our transportation infrastructure in Michigan is as bad as it’s ever been,” Gilmartin told the committee during the question and answer segment. “The spring thaw comes and on occasion we start picking up potholes and those types of things and we’re all kind of used to that. But this year is a special kind of ugly on Michigan roads.It has gone from a difficult experience to at times a frightening one.”

In referencing a recent civil engineering report that came out and gave Michigan a D plus on infrastructure, Dan gave an analogy from the film, “Animal House” while explaining we need to do more than just fix the infrastructure we have. We also need to plan for the new economy.

“I said to a friend of mine that the grades there (in that report) looked like when Dean Wormer brought in the brothers from Delta House to give them their grade point averages in ‘Animal House’, everything was bad. And we see that consistently throughout our state. To go beyond that, I talked a lot in my testimony about the importance of re-imagining our infrastructure. Because rebuilding what we have is one thing. We see differences in economics, we see differences in people choosing how they transport themselves – how they want to move around in regional economies – and we’ve got to be building for new as well. We’re in that space I talked about where we’re in a real jam because we’ve got to fix what we have and we’ve got to prepare ourselves for the new economy.”

NLC eventHere is the official statement from League CEO and Executive Director Dan Gilmartin:

Good afternoon, Chairman Fischer, Ranking Member Peters and Members of the Subcommittee.

I am Dan Gilmartin, the Executive Director and CEO of the Michigan Municipal League, and I am thankful for the opportunity to speak with you today about rebuilding and reimagining our nation’s infrastructure. I am here on behalf of the cities and villages in my state as well as the National League of Cities, which represents 19,000 cities and towns of all sizes across the country. First, let me commend the Committee — and Senator Peters in particular — for his work to engage with cities on the A.V. START Act. Second, yesterday NLC released a report, Bridging the Urban-Rural Economic Divide. It highlights the importance of economic connections, such as infrastructure connectivity and market access, to create sustainable growth and bridge the gap between urban and rural America. The full report is in the written testimony.

Local-Federal Partnership on Infrastructure

Cities are your partner in infrastructure. Local governments own, operate and maintain 78 percent of the nation’s road miles, 43 percent of the nation’s federal-aid highway miles, 50 percent of the nation’s inventory and support our vital local transit systems. Additionally, local governments fund 95 percent of the nation’s water and wastewater investments.

Local Priorities for Infrastructure Investment

We believe a national, comprehensive infrastructure bill is essential, and it should support five guiding principles: 

  1. Sustainable Investment.Together, cities and our federal partners must address the existing core infrastructure backlog, reestablish long-term funding and use new technologies that will serve America’s cities for the next 100 years. Without sustainable funding, we will simply continue to manage the decline of our transportation networks.
  2. Locally-Driven Projects.Local leaders should be given a strong voice in decision making as they are best positioned to identify where infrastructure needs are the greatest. As you’ve seen from the popularity of programs like TIGER grants, the silos of the past are not a good match for the needs of a strong modern network that are crucial to the creation of authentic, vibrant local places that drive economic prosperity today.
  3. Federal-Local Partnership.Cities across this country are investing billions of their own resources and need a steady federal partner to fund existing national programs and make significant capital investments for the long-term benefit of the economy. Infrastructure projects are planned years in advance. Having a reliable federal source of funding will allow local communities to properly plan and build for the future.
  4. Expand Revenue Tools.Cities should be given more flexibility to raise revenues and use innovative financing techniques while protecting existing tools. We stand ready to work with you to identify new opportunities.
  5. Rebuild and Reimagine. We are investing in intermodal, sustainable and interconnected places that people want to live, learn, work and play. Congress should invest in cities’ vision to rebuild and reimagine America’s infrastructure, ultimately bolstering economies across the country.

We believe these principles form the foundation for America’s next infrastructure investment. Every day we wait, our nation’s infrastructure gap grows.  A band aid approach no longer serves the interests of Americans. WWJ in Detroit recently described life on Michigan’s roads like this, “Broken rims, torn tires, endless commutes, waiting for hours on the side of the freeway for overworked tow drivers.”  As somebody who drives those roads I can tell you that is true.

For their part, cities are reinventing Michigan, we are doing our part. Residents have responded by supporting more than 80% of local millages on the ballot. The State legislature has raised the state’s gas tax and increased registration fees, but funding levels still fall far short of the actual need. Now is the time for the federal government to partner with us and pass an infrastructure package that addresses the shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund and provides cities in Michigan and those across America with a reliable transportation network for the 21st century and beyond. We know that bridging the $2 trillion shortfall won’t be easy and will take a significant commitment from every level of government – federal, state and local.  But we cannot continue to watch our major infrastructure systems break down in slow motion, we must address the significant workforce pipeline gaps across all the sectors that build our roads, maintain our bridges and operate our water systems.

America’s infrastructure is a system being pushed to its limits and the time to act is now.

On behalf of cities across the country, we ask you to partner with us and take the necessary steps to rebuild and reimagine America’s infrastructure as a modern, safe, reliable and efficient model for the world. I thank you for the opportunity to submit this testimony and I look forward to your questions.

Daniel Gilmartin to Testify in D.C. Tuesday on Michigan Infrastructure Crisis

Dan Gilmartin - CEO and Executive Director of the Michigan Municipal League

Dan Gilmartin – CEO and Executive Director of the Michigan Municipal League

WATCH the hearing live here TODAY (March 13, 2018) at 2:30 p.m.: https://www.commerce.senate.gov/public/

Michigan Municipal League CEO and Executive Director Dan Gilmartin will speak before Congress in Washington D.C. this week about infrastructure needs. We all know how ferociously bad Michigan’s roads are. Now Washington, D.C. is going to learn.

Gilmartin has been invited to speak on behalf of local governments regarding state and local transportation infrastructure needs at a Senate subcommittee Tuesday, March 13, 2018. View the official information about the hearing here.

This is a major opportunity for Michigan, Gilmartin and the League to talk about how state and federal government has inadequately supported infrastructure. For more than a dozen years now Michigan has dis-invested in its local communities more than any other state in the nation. Gilmartin and a large Michigan contingent, including League Board President Catherine Bostick-Tullius, Lapeer city commissioner; and League Board Vice President Melanie Piana, Ferndale mayor pro tem, are in D.C. this week talking with congressional leaders as part of the National League of Cities annual Congressional City Conference. This year’s conference theme is “Rebuild With Us: Cities Strong Together” and much of the focus will be on rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure.

Some of the scheduled speakers at the conference include Ben Carson, Cabinet Secretary for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Gale A. Brewer, Borough President, Manhattan, N.Y.; and Bill de Blasio, Mayor of New York City.

NLC eventHere is the rundown of the event where Dan will be testifying:

Rebuilding Infrastructure in America: State and Local Transportation Needs

  • Tuesday, March 13, 2018 at 2:30 p.m.
  • Before the subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security at the Russell Senate Office Building

Scheduled witnesses:

  • Dan Gilmartin, Executive Director & CEO, Michigan Municipal League
  • Kyle Schneweis, Director, Nebraska Department of Transportation
  • Jordan Kass, President, Managed Services, TMC Division, C.H. Robinson
  • Jo Strang, Senior Vice President, Safety and Regulatory Policy, American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association

League’s Dan Gilmartin Talks Flint Water Crisis, Infrastructure Issues at Congressional Briefing

Michigan Municipal League CEO and Executive Director Dan Gilmartin participates in a Congressional Briefing on the Flint Water Crisis and infrastructure issues in Washington D.C. Wednesday.

Michigan Municipal League CEO and Executive Director Dan Gilmartin participates in a Congressional Briefing on the Flint Water Crisis and infrastructure issues in Washington D.C. Wednesday.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Michigan Municipal League CEO and Executive Director Dan Gilmartin and fellow municipal leaders from across the nation called for a partnership between cities, states and the federal government to improve the country’s ailing infrastructure.

Gilmartin participated in a panel discussion at the Congressional Capitol Briefing earlier today (March 9, 2016) in Washington D.C. Gilmartin and the panel discussed national infrastructure issues and the Flint water crisis. Other scheduled panelists were Mayor Mark Stodola, of Little Rock, Arkansas; Councilmember Greg Evans, of Eugene Oregon; and Councilmember Andy Huckaba, of Lenexa, Kansas.

The panel also discussed whether federal policies are keeping pace with local efforts to reevaluate and reconfigure infrastructure for the next generation. More than 200 members of Congress and congressional staff attended the event at the Capitol Visitors Center Auditorium. The briefing is part of the National League of Cities annual Congressional City Conference concluding today.

In response to the Flint water crisis, the NLC on Tuesday announced a resolution that declared that the nation’s cities stand united in support of Flint. The resolution also included a call to Congress and the Administration to resolve the Flint Water Crisis. View the resolution here.

Here is an excerpt of the press statement about the resolution:

NLC is also calling on Congress and the administration to support robust funding for all water infrastructure mechanisms, including the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund programs and the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act.

“The true tragedy is that the families-and children-impacted by the lead contamination in Flint will endure long-term education and mental health impacts,” said National League of Cities President Melodee Colbert-Kean, councilmember, Joplin, Mo.”The federal government must make a long-term commitment to help these families with the challenges that lie ahead.”

“The Flint drinking water crisis is unconscionable and unacceptable. Cites stand in solidarity with Flint, and the National League of Cities stands united with all American cities in the need to update our nation’s deteriorating water infrastructure,” saidNational League of Cities CEO and Executive Director Clarence E. Anthony. “We must invest in the infrastructure our communities depend on. We need the federal government to step up, and work with cities to make sure there will never again be another disaster like in Flint.”

“The tragic events in Flint are a wake-up call for the nation. Policies that ignore critical infrastructure needs result in a shameful disinvestment in our cities, leading to problems like we are experiencing in Flint,” said Dan Gilmartin, executive director and CEO of the Michigan Municipal League. “The Michigan state government has shorted communities $7 billion in revenue since 2000. The Flint crisis is the latest result of this ruinous policy.”

Access to clean drinking water is fundamental for the health and well-being of America’s communities and families. Lead-contaminated drinking water can have permanent and long-term effects on mental health, IQ and development, particularly in infants and children.

There is an urgent need to invest in our aging water infrastructure nationwide. The EPA estimates the U.S. water infrastructure capital needs to be approximately $720 billion over the next 20 years.

View the full press release about the resolution here.

NLC is the nation’s largest and most representative membership and advocacy organization for city officials, comprised of more than 19,000 cities, towns, and villages representing more than 218 million Americans.

Matt Bach is director of media relations for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at mbach@mml.org.

Transportation Funding Hitting Road Blocks in the Senate

The package of bills sent over by the House has hit a road block in the Senate. Democrats are arguing for protection of prevailing wage, the current electoral college system, and the need to provide tax relief for the working poor by reinstating the cuts made in 2011 to the Earned Income Tax Credit. Republican are not united in their approach as some members of their caucus want to raise the gas tax, other want to raise the sales tax, and still other want no new taxes. As this debate plays out some progress was made this week but much more needs to be done if comprehensive solution is going to be realized.

Talks are ongoing among legislative leaders. The League remains hopeful that the legislature will respond to the public outcry to fix Michigan transportation networks and act on the bills before them. We encourage you to reach out to the Senator and Representative from your area and encourage them to vote for a sustainable solution that will return Michigan to a state with strong infrastructure, reliable transit options, and thriving communities.

John LaMacchia is a Legislative Associate for the League handling transportation and infrastructure issues. He can be reached at jlamacchia@mml.org or 517-908-0303

Governor’s Transportation Budget Does Not Include Long-Term Funding Solution

The Governor has release his annual budget recommendations but they did not include a long-term solution for transportation funding. The budget included $3.4 billion in ongoing funding and $254 million in on-time general fund spending for 2015.

The $254 million in general fund dollars will be split into two areas. Current transportation revenues are no longer sufficient to match all of Michigan’s available transportation aid. A total  of $139 million will be used to leverage federal dollars. The remaining $115 million will be used for state trunkline road and bridge projects.

The Governor states that he is still committed to securing a comprehensive transportation funding solution. The League appreciates his commitment to the issue but what we need is action. For to long we have neglected our infrastructure in this state and our local communities and their residents are bearing the cost as a result. It is time to address this issue and the League is fully committed to helping find a solution. An investment in our local infrastructure is critical for our state to thrive.

John LaMacchia is a Legislative Associate for the League handling transportation and infrastructure issues. He can be reached at jlamacchia@mml.org or 517-908-0303.