Issues: Infrastructure
Engineering a Stronger Houston
“A failing infrastructure cannot support
a healthy economy.” - Wayne Klotz,
President of the American Society of
Civil Engineers
Download a copy of the policy brief here.
I am running for mayor to lead Houston through a strong and lasting economic recovery — and that’s why I will lead the fight to reform and modernize the way we maintain and upgrade our infrastructure.
Roads, bridges, sidewalks, water pipes, storm drainage and sewer lines: these are the most basic networks that tie our city together and keep it moving.
When our infrastructure is safe, maintained and unobstructed, Houston moves. When it’s dangerous, broken or blocked, Houston grinds to a halt — and that’s not acceptable.
Keeping Our Economy Strong — for the Long Term
I can’t say it any better than Houston’s own Wayne Klotz, President of the American Society of Civil Engineers, did: “A failing infrastructure cannot support a healthy economy.”
And in today’s economic crisis, we are seeing that maintaining and upgrading our aging infrastructure is more than just a problem to solve — it’s an opportunity to create good, local jobs that will power our local economy while responding to pressing needs.
For example, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that $1 of infrastructure spending can boost the economy anywhere from $1 – $2.50. Moody’s Economy.com’s chief economist pegs it at $1.59.
That’s why I have proposed a Hire Houston First program to give a preference to contracting with local firms in Houston and the surrounding region and to firms that hire local workers on taxpayer-funded projects.
Building Safer, Stronger Neighborhoods
A first-class infrastructure system is also critical to maintaining public safety, preventing flooding and improving our quality of life.
Blocked storm sewers and overloaded ditches ruin homes and automobiles; poorly maintained streets increase response times for emergency vehicles; a lack of sidewalks increases the risk of pedestrian injuries and fatalities; overwhelmed wastewater systems are a danger to public health; and our firefighters can’t fight fires if our water plants aren’t producing enough water, water lines are in need of repair, the pressure is too low or hydrants are too far away.
And then there is the relentless traffic that impacts almost every aspect of our daily lives.
My Plan for Reform
As Mayor, I will lead the fight to reform the way Houston provides the infrastructure we need to support a strong economy, safe neighborhoods, adequate drainage and a high quality of life. My plan includes:
• A Dedicated Fund and a Downpayment on Our Future
Infrastructure funding decisions are made in a yearly budget process that, even when it works well, can be intensely political. The short-term interests of politicians who can serve only six years may not coincide with the long-term planning necessary to maintain and upgrade our infrastructure.
Creating a dedicated funding stream for infrastructure maintenance and upgrades would go a long way toward solving this problem by relieving the pressure to shift projects for short term gain.
The key, of course, is finding the money.
In this tough economy, our progress in the first few years may not be dramatic – but I believe we have to start now. Our first goal is to work within our existing levels of revenue. The infusion of infrastructure dollars from the federal stimulus program will help in the short term. These dollars will go even farther as the slowing economy brings construction costs down.
As tax increment refinancing zones in the city complete their project plans and wind down, we should look at dedicating the increment that comes back to the city to the infrastructure fund. While small at first, this funding stream will grow over time as property values increase and bonds sold to finance projects for the zones are repaid.
As the economy improves, we will have the financial bandwidth to consider new ideas. But today, it is important to make a downpayment on our future.
I will insist that the spending of these funds be tied to a long-term infrastructure plan – a roadmap – adopted by City Council
• Performing an Infrastructure Audit
My plan includes an infrastructure audit and needs assessment – because we won’t know where we need to go if we don’t know where to start. I will draw upon my own experience and work with the next Controller, our city departments and experts from the private sector to perform this initial review.
• Developing a Roadmap
With stable funding and a comprehensive needs assessment in place, we will need to create a long-term infrastructure plan – a roadmap – with a five, ten and twenty-year horizon.
No matter what Council district I am in or which Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) meeting I attend, I hear the cries for improvements to our CIP process. Citizens work tirelessly to identify needs, organize support for their projects, move them through the process and win a place in the CIP. Yet, before these projects are realized, and even after funds have been spent on design, they can be bumped by the pet projects of politicians or others with more influence. Citizen-initiated projects are pushed back even further when they have to compete for funding with emergency repairs that could have been avoided with proper planning.
The roadmap will strengthen our CIP process in several important ways:
o Allowing projects to move forward with greater certainty and better coordination so we can improve efficiency and get more out of every tax dollar.
o Ensuring our infrastructure needs are being met well into the future – not just for the six years that elected leaders are in office.
o Helping prioritize projects that have the greatest need. Issues of drainage and streets, for example, do not stop at Council district boundaries.
o Making sure that we are maintaining what we have, instead of wasting tax dollars by letting our infrastructure deteriorate to the point that it is worthless.
• Changing the Dialogue and Engaging the Community
It’s time to let Houston taxpayers know how we pay for our infrastructure. We need to take our roadmap out on the road. The national conversation around the economic crisis already has people talking about investing in infrastructure to support our economy. We need to continue this new dialogue even after our economy begins to rebound.
One of the greatest powers of the mayor is the bully pulpit – and I will make it a priority to lead our citizens to understand, support and act on our very serious infrastructure needs.
Houston is the best place in America to live and raise a family. To keep it that way, we need a government that takes care of the basics – and makes sure that all voices are heard as these important decisions are made. That’s my job as your next mayor.
