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Northland gets thin slice of thick federal budget
By Ray Weikal
It’s a pig worth $516 billion, and the Northland is getting its slice, albeit a small one.
After weeks of political wrangling, the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate finally passed a 2008 federal budget just a couple of days before adjourning for the holiday break Dec. 21.
With passage of the bill and President George Bush’s expected signature, major news media were abuzz with stories about the amount of so-called “pork” in the new budget. By conservative counts, the bill includes 8,983 earmarks worth $7.4 billion for local projects and organizations, according to budget watchdog Taxpayers for Common Sense.
The Kansas City metropolitan area is getting a share of that federal dole, thanks to the efforts of local lawmakers Sen. Kit Bond, Rep. Sam Graves and Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver. Together, they account for about $35 million in funding that will in some way directly impact the area.
Bond, for his part, was eager to praise the omnibus spending package and the money he secured for Missouri.
“As Missouri’s senior senator, I work to ensure our state receives the resources needed for critical projects,” he said. “These dollars will fund the priorities voiced by Missouri’s elected officials, community and higher education leaders.
There are a half-dozen earmarks that are most likely to have a direct impact on those who live in the Northland. They include money for improvements to the Heart of America Bridge, to buy environmentally friendly buses, to start light-rail plans, to construct a new shelter for homeless teens, to upgrade a rural Platte County intersection and install tornado sirens in Smithville.
The last two items in the above list were obtained by Graves, according to information supplied by his Liberty office. Work on the Platte County intersection will include adding turn lanes and lowering hills to increase sight distances.
Graves said he was pleased to work with Platte County constituents to improve the intersection.
“Infrastructure improvements are vital to keeping school kids safe and continuing economic development in the county,” he said.
Cleaver succeeded in securing money for several sizable projects south of the river, including $6.1 million to expand the regional Troost Corridor Bus Rapid Transit, $551,250 for upgrades to the Paseo Street corridor and $735,000 to redevelop the downtown 11th Street and Grand Avenue neighborhood.
About $11 million is also being spent for several water projects in the metro area.
Not everyone in Congress is a fan of federal earmarks. Missouri’s Sen. Claire McCaskill is part of a small revolt of lawmakers who have refused to support these local allocations.
“Sen. McCaskill does not take part in the earmarking process,” a spokesperson from her office said. “She doesn’t think it’s a transparent process.”
Federal Budget Highlights
Here are highlights of the handful of 2008 federal budget earmarks that will likely have the most impact on Northland residents:
- $551,250 to retrofit the Heart of America Bridge with a barrier to protect bicycle and pedestrian traffic.
- $735,000 to the Kansas City Area Transit Authority to purchase fuel-efficient buses that meet clean air standards.
- $1.8 million to begin the planning process for a light-rail system in Kansas City.
- $551,250 to design and construct a homeless youth shelter and campus run by Parkville-based Synergy Services.
- $200,000 for nine emergency warning sirens in Smithville.
- $500,000 to improve the intersection of Missouri Route N and 136th Street in rural Platte County.
Total: $4.34 million
Staff writer Ray Weikal can be reached at 389-6637 or rayweikal@npgco.com.
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After weeks of political wrangling, the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate finally passed a 2008 federal budget just a couple of days before adjourning for the holiday break Dec. 21.
With passage of the bill and President George Bush’s expected signature, major news media were abuzz with stories about the amount of so-called “pork” in the new budget. By conservative counts, the bill includes 8,983 earmarks worth $7.4 billion for local projects and organizations, according to budget watchdog Taxpayers for Common Sense.
The Kansas City metropolitan area is getting a share of that federal dole, thanks to the efforts of local lawmakers Sen. Kit Bond, Rep. Sam Graves and Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver. Together, they account for about $35 million in funding that will in some way directly impact the area.
Bond, for his part, was eager to praise the omnibus spending package and the money he secured for Missouri.
“As Missouri’s senior senator, I work to ensure our state receives the resources needed for critical projects,” he said. “These dollars will fund the priorities voiced by Missouri’s elected officials, community and higher education leaders.
There are a half-dozen earmarks that are most likely to have a direct impact on those who live in the Northland. They include money for improvements to the Heart of America Bridge, to buy environmentally friendly buses, to start light-rail plans, to construct a new shelter for homeless teens, to upgrade a rural Platte County intersection and install tornado sirens in Smithville.
The last two items in the above list were obtained by Graves, according to information supplied by his Liberty office. Work on the Platte County intersection will include adding turn lanes and lowering hills to increase sight distances.
Graves said he was pleased to work with Platte County constituents to improve the intersection.
“Infrastructure improvements are vital to keeping school kids safe and continuing economic development in the county,” he said.
Cleaver succeeded in securing money for several sizable projects south of the river, including $6.1 million to expand the regional Troost Corridor Bus Rapid Transit, $551,250 for upgrades to the Paseo Street corridor and $735,000 to redevelop the downtown 11th Street and Grand Avenue neighborhood.
About $11 million is also being spent for several water projects in the metro area.
Not everyone in Congress is a fan of federal earmarks. Missouri’s Sen. Claire McCaskill is part of a small revolt of lawmakers who have refused to support these local allocations.
“Sen. McCaskill does not take part in the earmarking process,” a spokesperson from her office said. “She doesn’t think it’s a transparent process.”
Federal Budget Highlights
Here are highlights of the handful of 2008 federal budget earmarks that will likely have the most impact on Northland residents:
- $551,250 to retrofit the Heart of America Bridge with a barrier to protect bicycle and pedestrian traffic.
- $735,000 to the Kansas City Area Transit Authority to purchase fuel-efficient buses that meet clean air standards.
- $1.8 million to begin the planning process for a light-rail system in Kansas City.
- $551,250 to design and construct a homeless youth shelter and campus run by Parkville-based Synergy Services.
- $200,000 for nine emergency warning sirens in Smithville.
- $500,000 to improve the intersection of Missouri Route N and 136th Street in rural Platte County.
Total: $4.34 million
Staff writer Ray Weikal can be reached at 389-6637 or rayweikal@npgco.com.