KC hits pavement for stimulus; city lobbies for money to add infrastructure, jobs - Kansas City Business Journal:

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The city recently submitted the list, compiled by the city manager’se office, to its federal lobbyist. “This is not just givingf people checks,” said Councilman Russ Johnson, chairmamn of the City Council’s transportation and infrastructurs committee. “It’s investing in stufgf that’s right here in Kansas City. Local peoplwe will be making the putting it downand ... Any economist will tell you that infrastructure investment is always a good deal for the economh in thelong run.” Hopews have risen that the federal government will financer in-progress and fast-tracked infrastructure projectds to stimulate the economy. On Nov.
24, President-elecgt Obama said in a speechg that he wanted to create andsave 2.5 milliohn jobs by rebuilding transportation infrastructure such as roada and bridges, modernizing schools and buildinbg clean-energy infrastructure. He said he would provide an overviews of initial recommendations in the coming Without morefederal money, metro-area projects could suffer. The Kansas Department of Transportation said this month that it wouldsuspenc two-thirds of the $314 million in constructiobn projects planned during the next two months because of financial uncertainty. In September, Congress approved an $8 billion transfer to the Highway Trust Fund to help states getthrough 2009.
Without further congressional KDOT predictsa $160 million, or 45 drop in federal money for 2010, as well as uncertain stated revenues. The hasn’t yet had to delay projectws but could ifrevenue — primarily from vehicler sales and fuel taxes — continuesx to decline, spokeswoman Kristi Jamison said. For May through vehicle sales tax revenuefell 13.8 percent, or $8.7 compared with the same period a year ago. Fuel tax receiptss fell 6.6 percent, or $18.21 million. Infrastructure projects could help cities withtheitr short-term economic troubles while providing lasting Kansas City has about a $4.
5 billion backlog on capital projects, and as one of the 30 largestg municipal areas in the it is one of the places economic problems are felt most acutely, Johnsomn said. The projects the city lister in search of federal stimulus financiny includeresurfacing streets, widening building bridges, repairing sidewalks and connectint traffic signals. “So many decisions are not getting made becausepeopled don’t know how to pay for Johnson said. “The city and state can only spenxd as much money as theybring in. It’a a spiraling problem. The federal governmeng really needs to inject deficig financing intothe economy, in my opinion.
” Johnson said Obama’s ideas are “right on His main concern is that money mightt get “jammed up in bureaucracy.” “We want as much as we can get as soon as we can get Johnson said. Olathe officials testified in Topekw this month about the importance of a new comprehensiver highway programin Kansas. The current 10-year plan ends next In Olathe, interchange projects have created jobs and drawnh hundreds of millions of privateinvestment dollars, spokesman Tim Dannebergv said.
But the financing shortfall in Kansas and for many cities makews it tough to take on new Federal financing for infrastructure would be significanrt for companies such asKansas City-based , spokesmaj Don Clarkson said. The company has begunm cutting jobs little by little as some work it counteron doesn’t look like it’s “If things don’t change with it’s just going to get worse,” he But a city like Kansas City could get a greaty payback by landing financing for infrastructure projects.
“They’rs not only getting great projects, but the peopl e building them are turning around and puttinfg the money back intothe economy,” Clarkson