A group of big-city mayors got some good news from the Trump administration last week at a meeting on infrastructure in Washington: Localities may be able to apply for money directly from the federal government—something the mayors came to D.C. asking for.
But mayors remain skeptical of the Trump administration’s approach to funding infrastructure, Governing reports. White House officials said a detailed set of principles will be released in the coming weeks, but some local leaders feared cities would lose more money than they would gain under the scheme, while others wondered why cities were being asked to raise more money for infrastructure than the federal government.
Traditionally, the federal government has put up most of the money for transportation projects, while locals and states put up a smaller match, typically 80%-to-20%. The White House plan relies on state and localities raising their own money or bringing in private capital to fund infrastructure improvements, Governing reports, essentially reversing the funding ratio.
Louisiana leaders already raised the alarm on the subject last year after details of the White House plan emerged. State transportation officials have said Louisiana will soon be at risk of not being able to meet a match for infrastructure, even without the new shift.
Read the full story from Governing.
