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Bend MPO weighs in on federal 'Build Act' bill; board approves support letter
Summary
Staff briefed the board on the House transportation 'Build Act' — roughly $580 billion over five years with a shift toward formula funding, higher local shares and a carve-out for city/county bridges — and the board voted to send a letter of support; ODOT abstained on the motion.
Tyler Deakey gave the policy board an overview of the Build Act, a House transportation bill that he said would provide about $580 billion over five years and move funding toward formula programs with a larger local/regional share and an increased carve-out for city and county bridges.
"The bill over the course of the proposal in the Build Act, it's about $580,000,000,000 over 5 years in for road transfer for transportation funding," Deakey said. He explained that the bill would shift some money from competitive grants to formulas, increase local direct shares and reduce some discretionary programs while preserving core programs such as FLAP and SS4A in some form.
Board members discussed the implications for local projects, including eligibility of large bridge projects, whether direct-recipient status for MPO PL funds would change local administrative burden, and how reduced competitive programs might affect projects the MPO had pursued previously. Staff said PL funds could be direct-recipient to MPOs under the proposal but that city finance staff had found the direct-recipient process cumbersome in earlier experience.
Councilor Mike Riley moved to approve a letter supporting the bill; the motion was seconded and the board approved the motion with ODOT recorded as abstaining. Staff said they will transmit the letter to the congressional delegation.
