Governor’s CHIPs cuts would slash $1.47 million from Chenango’s roads
NORWICH – Fewer miles of county and municipal roads will be maintained this year if Gov. David Paterson’s proposed highway cuts make it through the upcoming legislative budgeting season.
The suggested cuts specifically target the New York State Department of Transportation’s Consolidated Highway Improvement Program, or CHIPs. When combined, $1.47 million would be slashed from Chenango County’s entire highway infrastructure.
The proposal, distributed to municipalities last week, suggests some of the following percentage cuts: Chenango County, -27.39; the City of Norwich, -31.81; the Town of Greene, -41.90; the Town of Guilford, -42.03; and the Town of Norwich, -42.73. The Town of McDonough would loose the most CHIPs funding, at -43.45 percent.
If passed by the state’s legislature, the proposal would be in effect from April 2009 to April 2010.
“I’m hoping it doesn’t (happen). The governor has everyone’s interests at heart, but it’s the wrong way to go about it. Without our infrastructure, we can’t get people to come in here and invest. I hope that cooler minds prevail,” said Sherburne Superintendent of Highways Robert Brunschmid, whose town stands to loose about 42 percent.
According to Chenango County Department of Public Works Director Randy Gibbon, the governor reversed a $60 million increase the Albany assembly approved for CHIPs in 2008 and took away another $52 million. The initial increase aimed to give buying power to public works departments to counter escalating prices for blacktop, cement and other products that were, in turn, caused by higher fuel prices.
“He’s putting us back,” said Gibbon. “We’re losing close to $500,000. We should be getting $1.5 million. If this goes through, we will only be able to stone and oil projects on 30 miles of roads. It should be 50.”
Gibbon said he would not ask for more money from county taxpayers to make up the difference. “We only can spend on funded projects that you anticipate coming,” he said.
Supervisor Alton B. Doyle, the Republican from Guilford, whose town is the county’s largest in square mileage, said CHIPs funding was something the municipality counted on regularly. He said he hoped the proposal wouldn’t stick.
“We’re not happy with it, but I’m more concerned for Randy (Gibbon) than I am for the town,” Doyle said.
Greene’s Jack Cook said he was concerned for the entire county as well.
“It’s going to hurt the county big time. That’s a lot of money from towns and the county,” he said.
The cuts would slash about 3 to 4 miles of roadwork planned this spring and summer for Greene, but Cook expects the legislature to revise the governor’s proposal.
“The legislature still has to vote on this. It’ll be down a bit, but not as much as projected now. You have to think like you’re going to get it, but then deal with it if you don’t,” he said.
Sherburne’s Brunschmid said high prices for fuel and materials forced the department to cut from 16 miles of resurfacing to only 8 miles last year. If the cuts go through, he anticipates cutting back another 25 to 35 percent in ‘09.
“Slowly but surely, it will let the roads deteriorate,” said Brunschmid. Plans to install two large culverts off of Turnpike Road this year would be placed on the back burner, as would plans to rebuild Dewey Road, he said.
Gibbon said the total amount of money that Paterson has proposed to bond for CHIPs for New York State, $259 million, is “what should really concern people.” Highway funding makes up less than 10 percent of the state’s budget, a “small slice of the pie,” as the superintendent put it.
The governor has allocated a suggested total for CHIPS not because he’s really wanting to cut highway funds, but because that’s all the money the state has to bond for, said Gibbon. If using traditional bonding ratios of putting up 10 percent for every million borrowed, then all the state has in cash would be $25.9 million.
“That’s how bad things are in New York State,” the county’s highway superintendent said. “It used to be that the bond ratio was 1 to 10. That was the rule of thumb. Now, with the economy the way it is, I don’t know if that’s even the real ratio any more, and nobody can tell you.”
Gibbon pointed to the governor’s suggested cuts to social services and education as liabilities that local taxpayers may have to absorb.
The suggested cuts specifically target the New York State Department of Transportation’s Consolidated Highway Improvement Program, or CHIPs. When combined, $1.47 million would be slashed from Chenango County’s entire highway infrastructure.
The proposal, distributed to municipalities last week, suggests some of the following percentage cuts: Chenango County, -27.39; the City of Norwich, -31.81; the Town of Greene, -41.90; the Town of Guilford, -42.03; and the Town of Norwich, -42.73. The Town of McDonough would loose the most CHIPs funding, at -43.45 percent.
If passed by the state’s legislature, the proposal would be in effect from April 2009 to April 2010.
“I’m hoping it doesn’t (happen). The governor has everyone’s interests at heart, but it’s the wrong way to go about it. Without our infrastructure, we can’t get people to come in here and invest. I hope that cooler minds prevail,” said Sherburne Superintendent of Highways Robert Brunschmid, whose town stands to loose about 42 percent.
According to Chenango County Department of Public Works Director Randy Gibbon, the governor reversed a $60 million increase the Albany assembly approved for CHIPs in 2008 and took away another $52 million. The initial increase aimed to give buying power to public works departments to counter escalating prices for blacktop, cement and other products that were, in turn, caused by higher fuel prices.
“He’s putting us back,” said Gibbon. “We’re losing close to $500,000. We should be getting $1.5 million. If this goes through, we will only be able to stone and oil projects on 30 miles of roads. It should be 50.”
Gibbon said he would not ask for more money from county taxpayers to make up the difference. “We only can spend on funded projects that you anticipate coming,” he said.
Supervisor Alton B. Doyle, the Republican from Guilford, whose town is the county’s largest in square mileage, said CHIPs funding was something the municipality counted on regularly. He said he hoped the proposal wouldn’t stick.
“We’re not happy with it, but I’m more concerned for Randy (Gibbon) than I am for the town,” Doyle said.
Greene’s Jack Cook said he was concerned for the entire county as well.
“It’s going to hurt the county big time. That’s a lot of money from towns and the county,” he said.
The cuts would slash about 3 to 4 miles of roadwork planned this spring and summer for Greene, but Cook expects the legislature to revise the governor’s proposal.
“The legislature still has to vote on this. It’ll be down a bit, but not as much as projected now. You have to think like you’re going to get it, but then deal with it if you don’t,” he said.
Sherburne’s Brunschmid said high prices for fuel and materials forced the department to cut from 16 miles of resurfacing to only 8 miles last year. If the cuts go through, he anticipates cutting back another 25 to 35 percent in ‘09.
“Slowly but surely, it will let the roads deteriorate,” said Brunschmid. Plans to install two large culverts off of Turnpike Road this year would be placed on the back burner, as would plans to rebuild Dewey Road, he said.
Gibbon said the total amount of money that Paterson has proposed to bond for CHIPs for New York State, $259 million, is “what should really concern people.” Highway funding makes up less than 10 percent of the state’s budget, a “small slice of the pie,” as the superintendent put it.
The governor has allocated a suggested total for CHIPS not because he’s really wanting to cut highway funds, but because that’s all the money the state has to bond for, said Gibbon. If using traditional bonding ratios of putting up 10 percent for every million borrowed, then all the state has in cash would be $25.9 million.
“That’s how bad things are in New York State,” the county’s highway superintendent said. “It used to be that the bond ratio was 1 to 10. That was the rule of thumb. Now, with the economy the way it is, I don’t know if that’s even the real ratio any more, and nobody can tell you.”
Gibbon pointed to the governor’s suggested cuts to social services and education as liabilities that local taxpayers may have to absorb.
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