County leaders seek voice, flexibility in federal transportation funding

County priorities for Congress’ upcoming surface transportation reauthorization include securing direct federal funding for local governments, enhancing infrastructure safety and implementing permitting reforms, as outlined in letters NACo has submitted to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. 

Ahead of the expiration of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) this fall, transportation experts discussed the future of federal transportation policy at a NACo Legislative Conference policy summit on Feb. 23. 

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“While we’re pushing as hard as NACo for changes in this next bill that facilitate more county investment, we also recognize that the best possible outcome for reauthorization is a bill that works well for counties as well as cities and states, so that the system works for the people we serve,” said Converse County, Wyo. Chairman Jim Willox, who serves as chair of the NACo Transportation Policy Steering Committee. 

A strong highway system relies on strong roads, and county roads are critical and vital to that, Willox said. He shared a story of another Converse County commissioner who is a cattle rancher. When he delivers cattle to market, he drives on six miles of gravel county road, eight miles of paved county road, four miles of state highway, 50 miles of interstate, 35 miles of U.S. Highway and three blocks of city road. 

“If any part of that system fails, his cattle don’t get to market, beef doesn’t get delivered and his economic viability is impacted,” Willox said. “You can take any commodity, any idea, any work commute and put that same system together, and any failure means that we haven’t accomplished what we want as a society in America to get goods and people from point A to point B.”

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is working to streamline permitting, so that localities can complete transportation projects quicker and more cost-effectively, said Tony Frye, FHWA associate administrator for Highway Policy and External Affairs. 

“We need to deliver products faster, simply because products will be more expensive as the inflation rate climbs,” Frye said. “So, a project that today is really expensive was a little bit less expensive last year and 10 years ago. 

“So, [we’re working to] help you all deliver for your communities in a way that’s both manageable, but gets the job done so that you can see the benefits of it sooner.”

Receiving local input and hearing what is and what is not working on the ground is essential to FHWA’s work, so the division has brought together local, regional and tribal stakeholders in a series of roundtables, including a Request for Information (RFI) for the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization, according to Frye. 

“Our goal was to bring people in, especially those that hadn’t traditionally been captured within the matrix of federal highway,” Frye said. “To make sure that people were being heard and that we got the ideas.”

Localities should take advantage of both discretionary and formula grant opportunities, according to Johnson County, Kan. Chairman Mike Kelly. Discretionary transportation grants are competitive funds for specific projects, while formula transportation grants are federally mandated funds distributed based on criteria such as population, land area and ridership. A “radical” amount of communication is necessary to be successful in competitive grants, Kelly noted. 

“A discretionary grant may take a little bit more time, but it gives you an opportunity to accelerate the vision,” he said. “For some communities, the formulaic grants are great — it provides stability to a program that you need to continue.

“I think there’s a healthy balance between the two, but I think providing that continued discretionary opportunity allows for innovation and enhancement in a unique way, and we definitely continue to advocate for that.”