Upstate New York Republican lawmakers are crying foul over a proposed cut to state highway funding in Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul’s state budget proposal.
Inside the Halfmoon highway garage in southern Saratoga County, state lawmakers gathered with local town highway personnel to call for an increase in funding for the state’s roadway infrastructure for municipalities.
Republican Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh of the 112th District convened the press conference to call attention to what she says is a proposed $60 million cut to the consolidated highway improvement program – or CHIPS funding – in Hochul’s plan.
“We want to increase the base funding level for CHIPS by $200 million to a total of $798.1 million. We support increasing CHIPS bidding threshold from $250,000 to $1 million, or eliminating the threshold entirely – that would give more flexibility to our municipalities,” said Walsh.
Walsh, a Ballston resident, said her home county is growing and funding roads and bridges is a top priority.
“So, between 2010 and 2023, Saratoga County grew 9.41%, on average. So, what that means is more people, more developments, more roads, more stress on our infrastructure and our road system,” said Walsh.
Assemblyman Matt Simpson of the 114th District is the former town supervisor of Horicon in Warren County. The Republican said rural communities count on CHIPS funding.
“And I saw over those seven years, how important it was that we not only rely on the CHIPS funding, but whatever funding we could harness within our general fund to move over into that, because it was an investment into our community. It was an investment for economic activity that could come. It was also an investment towards our tourism economy, which is vital in the area that I represent,” said Simpson.
Greenfield highway superintendent Justin Burwell, who also serves as president of the Saratoga County Town Highway Superintendents Association, said the burden will shift to taxpayers.
“Any reduction in funding puts more burden on local governments that are already spread thin by trying to stay under state-imposed tax caps, increasing cost of health care and benefits for employees, and at the same time we're facing manpower shortages, trying to compete with the private sector,” said Burwell.
Halfmoon highway superintendent Bill Bryans said in a time of inflation, now is not the time to cut funding.
“So, in 16 years, we've only had increasing funds in a town of Half Moon by $250,000, OK? That's not enough today to pave two miles of roads,” said Bryans.
The state budget deadline is April 1st.
John Lindsay, a spokesman for Governor Hochul, said in a statement:
“Governor Hochul looks forward to working with the legislature to pass much-needed infrastructure funding, so the state can continue the work necessary to keep New Yorkers safe on our roads and bridges.”
With one-house budgets set to be released this month, Republican Senator Jim Tedisco of the 44th District said lawmakers will continue calling for an increase in highway funding.
“We are not, and our conferences are not going to go quietly in the night, allowing a roads and bridges in their safe to be to be placed on the back of local taxpayers when we have a lot of funding that they send in taxes to the state of New York,” said Tedisco.
