Re: Minnesota Transportation Funding (General)
Posted: September 2nd, 2017, 11:31 pm
One more month until we have a .5 cent transit sales tax in Hennepin and Ramsey counties.
Architecture, Development, and Infrastructure of the Twin Cities
https://urbanmsp.com/
General transit funding for metro transit =/= CTIB (and now county) funding. CTIB funding has been explicitly set aside for transitways, as opposed to local bus service and even aBRT. It's yet to be seen if Hennepin County will be willing to chip in for aBRT.Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, released a statement dismissing GOP criticism.
“A simple reading of the report makes it clear that the alleged discrepancy Republicans claim is comparing apples to oranges. The state budget request — submitted in February 2017 — offers funding projections for the next four years,” Dibble said.
The senator said the dissolution of the regional Counties Transit Improvement Board, “dramatically changed the landscape of funding for transit in the metro area, especially for Southwest Light Rail Transit.”
He said the federal financial management plan submitted at the end of June 2017 provided a look back at 10 years of funding, and 20 years of projected spending. It also included substantial changes to reflect the negative outcomes of the 2017 session and Hennepin County picking up the tab for what he called funding failures at the state level.
The only mention of transit is in Sec. 13:Section 1. Authority of state; participation of political subdivisions. The state may construct, improve and maintain public highways, may assist political subdivisions in this work and by law may authorize any political subdivision to aid in highway work within its boundaries.
...
Sec. 5. Highway user tax distribution fund. There is hereby created a highway user tax distribution fund to be used solely for highway purposes as specified in this article. The fund consists of the proceeds of any taxes authorized by sections 9 and 10 of this article. The net proceeds of the taxes shall be apportioned: 62 percent to the trunk highway fund; 29 percent to the county state-aid highway fund; nine percent to the municipal state-aid street fund.
...
Sec. 10. Taxation of motor fuel. The legislature may levy an excise tax on any means or substance used for propelling vehicles on the public highways of this state or on the business of selling it. The proceeds of the tax shall be paid into the highway user tax distribution fund.
So I'm guessing it's only the vehicle sales tax that can go to transit uses. They might be able to sneak some capital expenditures into highway projects but broadly speaking I think the fuel tax has to go towards asphalt.Sec. 13. Motor vehicle sales tax allocation. The revenue apportioned in section 12 must be allocated for the following transportation purposes: not more than 60 percent must be deposited in the highway user tax distribution fund, and not less than 40 percent must be deposited in a fund dedicated solely to public transit assistance as defined by law.
Yeah, I feel like our approach to environmental protection often misses the forest for the trees, worrying too much about the impact on the immediate area and not nearly enough about the holistic impact. I'm also interested to see if federal transit planning guidelines will go away or be revised. It'd be nice to shave some time off the planning and approvals process at the beginning of these projects, and possibly reduce the pressure to make dumb choices to fit cost/distance/travel time guidelines.How about less environmental reviews for projects that are supposed to help the environment by giving a cleaner option of travel (LRT).
Or do we still have to do studies on light rail impacting gravel pits and an impound lot?
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/government ... 018-03-21/Community development block grants, which are flexible funds that are enormously popular with mayors and other local officials, would receive a huge $2.4 billion increase to $5.2 billion despite being marked for elimination in Mr. Trump's budget plan. And an Obama-era transportation grant program known as TIGER would see its budget tripled to $1.5 billion.
Community development block grants are the same as Capital Investment Grants? i.e. money for SWLRThttps://www.cbsnews.com/news/government ... 018-03-21/Community development block grants, which are flexible funds that are enormously popular with mayors and other local officials, would receive a huge $2.4 billion increase to $5.2 billion despite being marked for elimination in Mr. Trump's budget plan. And an Obama-era transportation grant program known as TIGER would see its budget tripled to $1.5 billion.
Well that's not quite what I expected.
16 For necessary expenses to carry out fixed guideway
17 capital investment grants under section 5309 of title 49,
18 United States Code, $2,644,960,000 to remain available
19 until September 30, 2021: Provided, That of the amounts
20 made available under this heading, $2,252,508,586 shall
21 be obligated by December 31, 2019: Provided further,
22 That $5,050,000 from unobligated amounts appropriated
23 for the buses and bus facilities program under section
24 5309 of such title from fiscal years 2000 to 2005 shall
25 remain available until September 30, 2021 to carry out
1 section 5309: Provided further, That of the amounts made
2 available under this heading, $1,506,910,000 shall be
3 available for projects authorized under section 5309(d) of
4 such title, $715,700,000 shall be available for projects au
5 thorized under section 5309(e) of such title, $400,900,000
6 shall be available for projects authorized under section
7 5309(h) of such title: Provided further, That the Secretary
8 shall continue to administer the capital investment grant
9 program in accordance with the procedural and sub
10 stantive requirements of section 5309 of such title.
Nice, all those people saying Trump nixed the funding can shut up now.I don't think so. However, that program also appears to be funded:
16 For necessary expenses to carry out fixed guideway
17 capital investment grants under section 5309 of title 49,
18 United States Code, $2,644,960,000 to remain available
19 until September 30, 2021: Provided, That of the amounts
20 made available under this heading, $2,252,508,586 shall
21 be obligated by December 31, 2019: Provided further,
22 That $5,050,000 from unobligated amounts appropriated
23 for the buses and bus facilities program under section
24 5309 of such title from fiscal years 2000 to 2005 shall
25 remain available until September 30, 2021 to carry out
1 section 5309: Provided further, That of the amounts made
2 available under this heading, $1,506,910,000 shall be
3 available for projects authorized under section 5309(d) of
4 such title, $715,700,000 shall be available for projects au
5 thorized under section 5309(e) of such title, $400,900,000
6 shall be available for projects authorized under section
7 5309(h) of such title: Provided further, That the Secretary
8 shall continue to administer the capital investment grant
9 program in accordance with the procedural and sub
10 stantive requirements of section 5309 of such title.