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Resolutions Adopted at the
67th Annual Conference of Mayors
New Orleans, Louisiana
June 11-15, 1999 |
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TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
BETTER REPORTING AND IMPROVED INFORMATION
SYSTEMS ON THE EXPENDITURE OF TEA-21 FUNDING
WHEREAS, Congress and the Administration enacted the largest, single public works
investment in the nation’s history when the "Transportation Equity Act for the
21st Century" or TEA-21 became law in June 1998; and
WHEREAS, over six years, this legislation provides spending of more than $165
billion for core highway programs and more than $36 billion for public transit systems by
the state, regional and local agencies, including transit providers; and
WHEREAS, even with this substantial commitment of public infrastructure dollars,
federal reporting systems, particularly at the U.S. Department of Transportation and among
its agencies, have not been modernized in ways that are responsive to the public and local
decision-makers and recognize their need for better and more timely information on the use
of TEA-21 dollars; and
WHEREAS, policy-makers, particularly at the local government level, have been
seeking to make transportation investment decisions more transparent and have urged
improvements to reporting systems as an effective way to increase public involvement in
shaping transportation decisions affecting communities and regions; and
WHEREAS, information technologies, particularly GIS systems, which are routinely
deployed throughout the public and private sectors could dramatically improve the flow of
information from the U.S. Department of Transportation and its TEA-21 grantees,
particularly state transportation departments, on how TEA-21 dollars are being deployed or
soon will be invested in the future; and
WHEREAS, more user-friendly information and reporting can help improve the
quality of transportation decisions, and help extract more value from these transportation
investments, while satisfying a broader range of local, regional, state and national
priorities and interests, and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors calls upon the
U.S. Department of Transportation and its affected agencies to adopt a broader information
and reporting strategy, which may include additional demands upon primary TEA-21 grantees
such as state transportation departments, to inform the public and local elected officials
about the use and location of TEA-21 investments, including the use of more contemporary
reporting systems which rely on GIS systems and the Internet; and
BE, IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors calls upon the
Congress, and appropriate authorizing committees, to review these issues, and where
necessary, make technical corrections and take other actions to support efforts by the
Department of Transportation and the principal TEA-21 grant recipients to facilitate the
deployment of more contemporary reporting and information systems detailing the use of
TEA-21 dollars.
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Better Reporting and Improved Information Systems on the Expenditure of TEA-21
Funding