ALBANY – Assemblyman Clifford Crouch is standing with local public works officials in a call for fair funding from Albany so that road crews can get to work repairing the area’s aging infrastructure.
The Assemblyman joined forces with Chenango County Director of Public Works Shawn Fry, and Broome County Department of Public Works Highway Division Director Patrick Latting on Friday in a request for greater funding parity for upstate’s roads and bridges.
Recently, local infrastructure has been overshadowed by an $8 billion capital plan to revitalize the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in New York City. But areas like the 122nd Assembly District, which encompasses Chenango, Broome, Otsego and Delaware counties, need more than just second-rate handouts, Crouch stated.
“Eight billion dollars is a lot of money, and all too often, we see New York City getting the lion’s share of funding and upstate getting whatever is left over,” Crouch said. “Infrastructure is vital for economic development and commerce, and when you are talking about economically deprived areas of the state, ignoring the existing infrastructure is not only unsafe, but it further deprives the area.”
Crouch said he hopes to see funding parity within the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPs) be worked into the 2016-2017 budget, if not sooner.
“Like downstate, we in the Southern Tier deserve our fair share,” said Fry. “Over the past few years, we have seen some moderate increaseds in CHIPs funding, and we are grateful for Assemblyman Crouch’s advocacy. However, when an $8 billion capital plan appears, that gets your attention.”
Fry added that every dollar invested in CHIPs funds for local governments is “a dollar less for local property taxpayers to spend.”
“There is no question that parity has to happen to address the infrastructure deficit upstate New York is facing,” he said.
In 2013, CHIPs, which is disbursed statewide, received a $75 million increase in base funding. Over the last two years, an additional $90 million was secured in winter recovery funds for upstate municipalities that suffered harsh winters.
Even so, it’s not enough to keep up with the demand, said Latting.
“At our current funding threshold, it is difficult to pick and choose what projects take priority over others. It is hard to explain to one family that we are fixing their road tomorrow, but not have an answer for the family on the other side of the county where a bridge has been closed and detoured for an unspeakable amount of time,” Latting said. “Our request is simple: funding parity through CHIPs is greatly needed and will allow the Southern Tier to grow economically.”
The issue of funding parity for infrastructure in upstate will be on the docket as legislators return to Albany for the start of a new legislative session in January.