2004 Adopted Resolutions
72nd Annual Meeting
Boston

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USCM SURFACE TRANSPORTATION POLICY CLARIFICATION AND AFFIRMATION

     WHEREAS, metropolitan areas, the focal points of economic activity, are vital to the nation’s economic development and have accounted for more than 86% of the growth in the nation’s economy over the last 10 years; and

     WHEREAS, Mayors have voiced their strong support for reauthorization of TEA-21 as transportation infrastructure investment is essential to the economies of metropolitan areas; and

     WHEREAS, the United States Conference of Mayors outlined its surface transportation goals in a policy platform entitled: A Transportation Strategy for America’s Cities for the 21st Century: Strengthen Metropolitan Economies Through Transportation Investment; and

     WHEREAS, The United States Conference of Mayors policy platform lists as it Reauthorization Goals:

·    Retain the basic principles of TEA-21.

·    Strongly support a substantial increase in transit investment to keep pace with the dramatic ridership increase while opposing threats to transit through reallocation of funding sources.

·    Suballocate surface transportation funds to metropolitan areas for repair and maintenance of existing urban highways while giving equal weight to expanding public transit, congestion mitigation, safety programs, intermodal projects, land use, and streamlined federal and state transportation regulations.

·    Provide significant resources to address aging and congested transportation infrastructure.

·    Require accountability and performance based measures of state transportation agencies and metropolitan planning organizations (MPO).

     WHEREAS, trade between the Mexico, Canada and the United States has grown exponentially since passage of NAFTA; and

     WHEREAS, the US Department of Transportation states that the great majority of this trade (for example roughly 83 percent of US-Mexico trade by dollar value) moves by truck or rail, placing a significant burden upon border communities which have the responsibility of providing for the safe movement of people and goods that cross our borders on a daily basis; and

     WHEREAS, Congress included in TEA-21, a Borders & Corridors Program but through the appropriation process the funding to border communities ahs been limited to 14% of the program’s funding,

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that The United States Conference of Mayors affirms its Policy Platform entitled A Transportation Strategy for America’s Cities for the 21st Century: Strengthen Metropolitan Economies Through Transportation Investment; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the United States Conference of Mayors amends its policy platform to call upon the Congress to retain the Borders and Corridors program, and to be  eligible for funding as a border community, funding would be limited to those located within 50 miles of the U.S. border and that funding be prioritized using a formula based upon the volume of border traffic handled by the community.