http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20110818/NEWS01/108180326/MPOJC-Transit-funds-down
12:36 AM, Aug. 18, 2011
When the Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County approved its annual Transportation Improvement Plan on Wednesday night, it was for funding significantly less than in years past.
The TIP provides the Iowa Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration with a blueprint for how local government entities are spending federal dollars allocated for transportation infrastructure improvement and includes a list of all projects that already have been funded for construction, said Kris Akerson, assistant transportation planner for the MPOJC, formerly known as the Johnson County Council of Governments.
"They want to make sure we avoid planning and budgeting for more projects than we have actual funding for," Akerson said.
In recent years, federal funding for those projects has dropped by about 40 percent, he said.
"Money definitely has gone down, and likely will continue with the forecasts given and the estimates."
MPOJC received $2.27 million for projects for fiscal year 2012, which began July 1 and runs through June 30, 2012. The expected funding for the next three fiscal years is $1.738 million.
Federal funding for transportation infrastructure is allocated to the state Department of Transportation and then Metropolitan Planning Organizations and regional planning agencies based on population.
MPOJC, which provides funding for Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty, Tiffin, University Heights, Johnson County, the Iowa City School District and the University of Iowa, requires its members to submit applications for funding because of the high demand and limited resources.
"We always receive probably four times the number of requests as the amount of money available," Akerson said. "We'll have $1.7 million in funding next year, and we'll probably get $6 million in requests."
As funding for roads and trails dwindles at the federal and state levels, the state and local governments face greater challenges in maintaining their roads and trails.
To help address road and trail funding concerns at the local level, the Iowa Department Transportation is holding a series of public meetings to discuss future potential uses for Iowa's Road Use Tax Fund.
The DOT also will discuss alternate ways to raise money to help support infrastructure, such as implementing toll roads and an increased fuel tax, said MPOJC executive director John Yapp on Wednesday.
The closest meetings to the Iowa City area will be held Sept. 14 in Waterloo and Sept. 21 in Mount Pleasant.