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A Resolution of the County of Allegheny, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, requesting that the General Assembly act to distribute federal funding received through any economic stimulus package which allocates revenue for infrastructure improvement in a fashion that guarantees funding to Counties of the Second Class proportionate to the infrastructure located therein, and to require local administration of at least half of the funds allocated to each County of the Second Class.
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WHEREAS, on January 28, 2009, the United States House of Representatives passed an $819 billion economic stimulus package that includes hundreds of billions of dollars in spending on numerous domestic programs, expanded unemployment benefits for Americans, and about $275 billion in tax cuts; and
WHEREAS, the House's stimulus package allocates roughly $30 billion for highway construction to be distributed directly to state governments, with significant funding allocated to other infrastructure projects; and
WHEREAS, although the House's stimulus package requires that mayors and governors sign off on projects located within their jurisdictions, it appears to vest discretion over which projects to fund with the states, rather than with local units of government that are generally more aware of and sensitive to specific infrastructure issues and their effects on residents; and
WHEREAS, President Obama has publicly stated support for the creation of a free-standing entity that would be able to make more merit-based decisions about how to spend infrastructure funding than Congress can, and it is the judgment of Council that the logical extension of this concept insofar as it impacts Allegheny County is the creation of a fund within the County to make merit-based decisions regarding infrastructure funding by weighing all concerns of the County's residents; and
WHEREAS, to this end, it is also the judgment of Council that the General Assembly should act with all deliberate speed to require that federal infrastructure funding received by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania pursuant to any economic stimulus package be allocated to Counties of the Second Class proportionate to the infrastructure located therein; and
WHEREAS, it is further the judgment of Council that the General Assembly should also permit Allegheny County to administer at least half of the funding allocated to it directly if it creates a segregated Infrastructure Stimulus Fund and requires legislative approval of specific infrastructure projects prior to the expenditure of revenue from that funds, once appropriated for that purpose by the Commonwealth;
The Council of the County of Allegheny hereby resolves as follows:
Section 1. Council hereby requests that the General Assembly act with all deliberate speed to require that federal infrastructure funding received by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania pursuant to any
economic stimulus package be allocated to Counties of the Second Class proportionate to the infrastructure located therein, to the extent that such a provision is consistent with applicable federal law.
Section 2. Council further requests that the General Assembly also permit Allegheny County to administer at least half of the funding allocated to it directly if it creates a segregated Infrastructure Stimulus Fund and requires legislative approval of specific infrastructure projects prior to the expenditure of revenue from that funds, once appropriated for that purpose by the Commonwealth, to the extent that such a provision is consistent with applicable federal law.
Section 3. Severability. If any provision of this Resolution shall be determined to be unlawful, invalid, void or unenforceable, then that provision shall be considered severable from the remaining provisions of this Resolution which shall be in full force and effect.
Section 4. Repealer. Any Resolution or Ordinance or part thereof conflicting with the provisions of this Resolution is hereby repealed so far as the same affects this Resolution.
PRIMARY SPONSOR: COUNCIL MEMBER GASTGEB