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League's Arnold Weinfeld Quoted About Gov. Snyder's Transportation Plan

October 27, 2011 08:11 by author

SOUTHFIELD, Michigan - The transportation and infrastructure message delivered by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder received a ton of media coverage yesterday (Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011), including an article by MIRS news service that included some excellent comments by the League's Arnold Weinfeld. Here is an excerpt from the MIRS article with the comments from Mr. Weinfeld:

(Governor Snyder's) proposals would allow the state to audit county road agencies, and he also proposed updating PA 51 to remove cities and villages that receive less than $50,000 in transportation funding from the act. That, he said, would eliminate overhead administrative costs on the state's end while still taking care of the area's roads.

Although Arnold WEINFELD, director of strategic initiatives and federal affairs for the Michigan Municipal League (MML), was impressed with the overall message, the elimination of funding for smaller road authorities stuck out to him.

"That's the part that causes us some concern, clearly," said Weinfeld. "We know what the Governor's put forth is just a proposal, and we're optimistic that we can work those things out as conversations continue."

The League was supportive of the governor's transportation message and the League issued a press release stating the plan paves the way for economic growth and community investment in Michigan. But the press release did give the same concerns mentioned by Mr. Weinfeld in the MIRS article. Specifically, the League is concerned about how the proposal distributes some of the funding. Overall, League officials remain optimistic that those details can be worked out as discussions continue. Read the League's press release about the transportation message and its implications for local communities. Read the governor’s message, executive summary and white papers detailing his recommendations.

Matt Bach is director of communications for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at mbach@mml.org.