In looking at making the business case to obtain transportation investments for your projects, Randall C. Parker, Transportation Planner and Engineer for Stantec Consulting in Duluth, Georgia, gave a presentation that was a tad discouraging at times, but offered lessons in what individuals and organizations can do to better justify the need for transportation investments.
Parker explained that only three of 11 regions passed the Transportation Investment referendum, of which his region was not one. In explaining why Georgia desperately needed the transportation money, two major points he gave included the fact that Georgia’s motor fuel tax is one of the lowest in the nation and that per capita, transportation spending in Georgia is one of the lowest in the country.
When looking back and trying to figure out reasons why the transportation investment for his region was not approved, Parker stated that individual counties were unable to opt out of the Transportation Investment Act and that such money is not subject to congressional balancing. He also said it may have been an issue because related project criteria was established by a local roundtable.
Looking at distribution of funding for projects, Parker showed that 75% of funding went to regional projects and 25% went to local projects.
There are steps that can be taken to possibly improve the likelihood of funding in the future. Parkers says a few actions that can be taken include having a champion for your project; he noticed the projects that received funding were those that had a champion behind it, pushing it. Also, he says local officials need to work together.
Another great point brought forth was that “facts need to get out.” Myths and falsehoods need to be addressed. Parker reflected on the fact that social media played huge role in the opposition of the referendum and that in the future, it would be beneficial to be proactive with getting word out via traditional media. Newspapers, radio, and television are still players in the game!
He also said in efforts to be successful with future justification on investments, voters need to exercise their opportunity to know and understand specific projects and to make certain the intricacies of the project are explained to voters. However, even when taking these steps, it isn’t a given that voters will actually come out to vote, so incentives involving voter engagement and turnout is a strategy that needs implementation. In summary, trust from voters is necessary when working to get a referendum passed; transparency of all aspects is critical, and that is involved, and voters and the community need to recognize the funding need actually exists.