Here’s an interesting article from CNN Money on-line about the “cost” of high speed rail.  With most anything, cost can be defined in different ways.  Far too often it is defined in the most stark terms of money, without a real exploration of the cost to society if the policy is implemented or not.  That is why you have to go to the very last few sentences of this article to understand the real cost of not putting in place high speed rail and appropriate public transit in our communities.  I’ll be honest and say it here.., public transit is not a money-maker, but that is not why it has been implemented successfully in ciites across the world.  As noted by University of Pennsylvania Transportation Professor Vukan Vuchic, it has been implemented as a public service to improve quality of life.  The real bottom line according to Vuchic is that “Cities that offer you decent choices in high-speed rail are better than those who only offer you highway”.

Kalamazoo Train Depot

Earlier today, the Senate Appropriations committee took up SB 254(S-2).  This bill is the FY 2009-2010 transportation budget for the state of Michigan.  This budget provides $3.2 billion for all state and local transportation/transit programs throughout the state. It is main source of funding the 20,914 miles of local roads and bridges, and the 78 transit agencies that operate in every county in Michigan.

The Senate Appropriations committee has used the budget to fill gaps in the state’s general fund budget by reduce funding for our local operations. The budget will provide $16.26 million less for local roads and bridges. The budget will provide $4.28 million less for local bus operating support. The budget will provide $2 million less for the state funded AMTRAK routes (the Port Huron to Chicago line; and the Grand Rapids to Chicago line).

So what does this mean for us? It means that our local roads and bridges will continue to be underfunded. It means that our local transit operators will continue to suffer from a “death by a million cuts”. But most drastically, it means that one or both of the AMTRAK lines will cease to operate.

In these times of dwindling transportation revenues, where our communities will start facing deficits in transportation funding beginning in 2012, we can not afford for our Legislators to pile more troubles on top of all of that. See the full Issue Advisory on the current situation by clicking here.

Please visit our Action Center to call your Legislators and ask them to ACT NOW and restore these cuts!!! Ask them to ACT NOW and support the Transportation Funding Task Force (TF2) funding legislation.

I’ve returned from the 2009 American Public Works Association (Michigan Chapter) annual meeting in Boyne, MI. The APWA is the association of public works directors and employees throughout the state. These are the folks who manage municipal infrastructure (water, sewer, and roads). Each year, I give a Legislative Update to the members of the APWA and try to provide some perspective on what is going on in the State Legislature. This year, my task was to educate them on the Transportation Funding Task Force (TF2) funding legislation that is coming soon.

Part of my presentation included sharing with them a spreadsheet from MDOT that shows what each Michigan city and village can expect to receive in new transportation money if the TF2 bills are enacted (available here: TF2 MTF Forecast Plan City Village 5-11-09.pdf (41.95 kb)). It was good to see them get excited about the possibilities of a legislature finally supporting the efforts to get good transportation in Michigan.

I had to remind them that they have the power to get this done, just like you do. I’ve been told many times by legislators “Yeah Dave, I get it. Transportation needs more money. But I’m only hearing it from you, not from my folks at home.” We need you to ACT NOW!

Here’s a sample resolution that you can have your city councils adopt (available here:5-18-09 A Resolution Requesting Enactment of the Transportation Funding Task Force Legislation.pdf (32.47 kb)). Here’s a link to our action center so that you can send emails or make calls. Let us know how you’re doing with these calls. Tell your friends and families to call. We need the legislature to ACT NOW on transportation funding.

Earlier today, Shea Charles (City Manager - Howell) and I testified in support of HB 4967 (Kandreavas) which will allow cities to establish TIFA zones around transit stations.  It’s very similiar to HB 6114 from last year - which Get Michigan Moving worked on.

It was good to sit next to one of members and help educate a number of legislators on the importance of everyone supporting transportation and transit projects.  We reminded folks that all taxing jurisdictions (cities, counties, school districts, libraries, et al) all benefit from th economic development projects that are created by transit projects and we all must be ready to work together to find a way to fund these projects.

This bill is just part of the overall Transportation Funding Task Force (TF2) legislation (HB 4961 - 4967) and the rest of the bills should be moving soon.  We still need your help to convince the Legislature to ACT NOW on transportation/transit funding.  Visit the Get Michigan Moving Action Center to help us do that.

Yesterday, there was a press conference at the Capitol in which Dan Gilmartin (MML CEO & Executive Director) called upon the Legislature to ACT NOW!  It is time for the Legislature to ACT NOW to adequately fund Michigan’s transportation and transit systems.  It is time to ACT NOW to enact necessary reforms and efficiencies so that all road and transit agencies will work together in a cooperative way.  It is time to ACT NOW to reverse the declining funding for our roads, bridges, airports, and transit systems (to the tune of over $600 million over the last two years).

It was one of the most attended press conferences I’ve seen in my time working in the Capitol and it was great to see that we are getting support from a number of Legislators.  We need to thank State Representatives Pam Byrnes (D-Saline), Wayne Schmidt (R-Traverse City), Lee Gonzales (D-Flint), Matthew Lori (R-Constantine). Marie Donigan (D-Royal Oak), Dick Ball (R-Laingsburg), and Andrew Kandrevas (D-Southgate) for being sponsors of some of the bills in this package.

More bills are expected to be introduced next week and we’ll keep you posted on those.  In the meantime, please contact your Legislator and ask them to ACT NOW for transportation funding!

Previously I touched upon the need for Michigan to get the “moxie” in order to make the best of high speed rail funding coming out of the Obama Administration.

This article (http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=2&a=398494), from the Rochester, MN Post-Bulletin makes me wonder “Why does Minnesota have it and we don’t?”

To quote a friend of mine, “I never thought I’d agree with Michael Dukakis, but when he’s right he’s right!”

This article from Citiwire.net talks about President Obama’s high speed rail proposal and what’s preventing us from doing this right now:

http://citiwire.net/post/935/

Today I was a part of a meeting with 65 other people (including representatives from the Michigan Chamber, the AFL-CIO, the County Road Association, and others) to hear about some specifics on a proposal to increase transportation funding.  Going into the meeting, I had the feeling that this was going to be the same ole same ole with nothing new to report.  I’m glad to say that I was wrong.

The Governor’s staff give us a nine page document incorporating 13 specific bills that have been requested and received that will increase transportation funding by 90% over the next five year (from $3.1 billion to approximately $5.89 billion from state/local/federal sources).  Here’s breakdown of the specific bills:

1. A bill to create public-private partnerships(P3).  This would allow MDOT to enter into P3’s to build and operate transportation projects and could be a way to create toll roads in Michigan where necessary.
2. A bill to expand the Asset Management program to all public roads and transit programs.  Asset Management will provide consistency among long term agency plans and help us at the local level extend the transportation dollar to its maximum.
3. A bill to reward counties for planning multi-county corridors. - This will provide extra state aid to counties that jointly plan and build projects that function as multi-county through routes, lessening the amount needed to match on some federally funded projects.
4. A bill to establish a regionalization planing and grant program for transit projects.  This will allow for a customized approach for transit agencies to provide a coordinated effort to provide services for those areas that need/want transit.
5. A bill that will provide a New Transit Service Program.  This program could be funded with up to $50 million/year to support new rapid/regional transit services in the state.
6. A bill that will limit the amount of funds the Secretary of State receive from transportation collections and allow the Michigan Transportation Fund (MTF) to receive tolls as well as gas tax/vehicle registrations.
7. A bill to enable Tax Increment Financing Authorities for any transportation project.  This is what we tried to do with HB 6114 last year.
8. A bill to enable Private Investment Infrastructure (PIIF) Option.  This is similar to a TIFA but allows private investors to fund all or part of a transportation projects.
9. A bill allowing for a $25 local option fee to be placed on drivers licenses if approved by a county-wide vote for transportation projects.
10. A bill to implement a wholesale gas tax that begins on 1/1/10 and will cap annual gas tax increases by 5.5. cents in the first year and 3 cents each after that up to a maximum of a 90% increase in the gas tax over 7 years.
11. A bill to implement a wholesale diesel tax the same as the aforementioned bill.
12. A bill to increase vehicle registrations by 10% the first year and 20% a year for the next 4 years; and increase commercial vehicle registrations by 20% over the next 4 years.
13. A bill to increase the aviation fuel tax from 3 cents to 2 1/2 percent of the wholesale price.

The full transportation funding package can be found here: TF2 Transportation Funding Legislation.

Despite this being complicated, there is at least a target now that we can shoot people towards.  I’m looking forward to working on this and to having it enacted before the Legislature leaves for the summer break.  Please let me know if you have any questions on this.

Yesterday, I was given the opportunity to speak at a press conference in the Capitol regarding the need for Michigan to increase it’s support for public transit today.  Here’s what I said:

As we talk about the need for public transit in our state, I think one of the things we should include in that discussion is what kind of Michigan do we want? This is the question that will dare us to dream of a better future and a better Michigan. I can not imagine that there is anyone here who works in this building who does not want a prosperous Michigan.

So where does prosperity happen? It’s happening in communities and places where there are high concentrations of college-educated, talented, and creative people live. These folks are fairly mobile – meaning that they can choose to live, work, and play pretty much wherever they want. Today, these folks are choosing places like Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, Charlotte, Dallas, and other communities that – because of a set of public policies that they have embraced – offer the lifestyle that they seek.

If Michigan is going to create these types of places, both in large and small scales, then we need to also embrace these policies. These policies create:

• Significant public transit systems of all modes (commuter rail, light rail, bus, etc) and other alternatives to driving.
• Vibrant downtown’s and neighborhoods where people live, work, play, and shop in close proximity. This “walkable urbanism” makes driving a car simply unnecessary.
• Thriving entertainment and cultural attractions – and various ways to get people to these places.

We know that providing public transit will help restore prosperity in Michigan, because not only will it help keep entrepreneurial people here, but it will create thousands of new jobs as it has done in other states.

• Our unemployment rate continues to rank as the nation’s worst, but according to studies done by the American Public Transit Association – for every $100 million invested in public transit there will be 4,000 that are created and support by the system and the development that occurs around the system.
• We know from observing Minneapolis transit system that developers will bring billions of dollars in development in the form of grocery stores, retails shops, apartment buildings, restaurants and other services that transit riders want.

So how do we get the transit system that we need and the overall transportation system that will support the development of these prosperous places in Michigan? Quite simply, it is time for the Legislature and the Governor to begin their work to implement the Transportation Funding Task Force (TF2) recommendations.

Those recommendations include:

• Increase Transportation/Funding/Transit Funding.
• Decrease use of Interdepartmental Grants (IDG’s) from the transportation budget. Afterall, the most efficient use of transportation dollars is to actually use them on transportation projects and not non-transportation functions.
• Allow Local road agencies the option of levying local transportation taxes to support local transportation projects.
• Protect those portions of the Transportation Economic Development Fund (TEDF) that support local projects (Categories C & D).
• Protect that portion of the Comprehensive Transportation Fund (CTF) that is not constitutionally protected from being used for the General Fund (i.e. auto related sales taxes).

That report says what we all know to be true: we must significantly increase our investment in transportation. Road user fees (motor fuel taxes and vehicle registrations) are stagnant. And quite frankly, Michigan is becoming less of a state that just under-invests in its transportation system to one that just completely disinvesting in it.

If we want to have a good system, that level of investment must double … and the only way for that to happen is to have the Legislature act before they leave for the summer … otherwise this will get lost in the battle cries of the 2010 elections. The Michigan Municipal League, the members of the Get Michigan Moving coalition, and the other folks who are up here with me today are urging all of us to send the message to the Legislature that the time to act is now.

We can have a prosperous Michigan. We can have the place where people choose to live, work, and play once again, and where communities can meet their expectations. Together with you, we can create it. Thank you very much.

As I was watching last night’s episode of 24 (which I found to be surprising better than not), this commericial ran regarding the proposed bus rapid transit project in Grand Rapids.   This looks like an exciting project!