By Conference Staff
March 10, 2008

The Conference of Mayors used its Winter Leadership Meeting to focus on securing full funding for the new Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant, and to making sure that the priorities contained in the Mayors 10-Point Plan are addressed during the presidential transition — regardless of who wins the White House.

As Conference President Trenton Mayor Douglas H. Palmer told the leadership in Key West on February 21-23, “we need to make sure that the 10-Point Plan is addressed in the first 100 days of the next Administration.”

Palmer also said there must be a two-tract approach to pushing the Plan which includes both achieving legislative victories in 2008, and gaining support from the presidential candidates.

While the mayors discussed all aspects of the 10-Point Plan, key objectives for this year in Congress include:

• Securing the first $2 billion authorized for the Energy Block Grant to help mayors address issues related to climate change.

• Increasing CDBG funding to $4.1 billion in FY 2009.

• Restoring key anti-crime programs like COPS and Byrne Justice Assistance Grants.

• Forging a new national infrastructure policy that addresses issues related to transit, water, roads, sewers, schools, housing and much more.

• Securing a $1 billion reinvestment in at-risk youth to reinstate the Summer Jobs Program.

On the issue of transition, the presidential candidates will be strongly urged to attend the 76th Annual Conference of Mayors in Miami on June 20-24. The meeting will be hosted by Miami Mayor and USCM Vice President Diaz. In addition, transition teams will be established to forge a new metropolitan agenda that supports the priorities in the 10-Point Plan.

Key West Mayor Morgan McPherson hosted a wonderful evening event for the leadership on February 22.

Conference of Mayors Executive Director and CEO Tom Cochran gave the Mayors an update on the Conference’s work to secure full funding for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG). The EECBG program, which will serve as a valuable tool to increase America’s economic competitiveness and combat global climate change, would provide money directly to cities, counties and states. It was authorized at $2 billion annually in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. However, no money was included in the President’s Budget.

The Conference of Mayors and its members have sent letters to all members of Congress urging them to support the EECBG program and have conducted office visits. The Mayors discussed the responses that they have received from their Congressional delegations and the difficulty it will be to secure new funding in these tough economic times. However, many Congressional members have indicated that they did not pass the EECBG program without doing their part to secure funding.

Cochran also discussed his meetings with the National League of Cities and the National Association of Counties who are both actively engaged with the Conference in securing appropriations.

Representative Chaka Fattah (PA) told the mayors that as the new Chair of the Congressional Urban Caucus, he is committed to securing funding for the Energy Block Grant this year. Fattah is also a key member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on energy. Fattah intends to seek funding first as part of a supplemental funding bill.

Fattah said that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is also committed to securing funding this year, and that he is making this “the highest priority” of the Congressional Urban Caucus.

Conference Advisory Board Chair Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels provided an update on several climate protection issues, announcing that nearly 800 mayors had joined as signatories to the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.

In comments on federal legislative activities, he said, “Block grant funding will make sure that we don’t lose momentum on our climate protection efforts.” He underscored the need to be engaged in the Senate and its deliberations on cap and trade legislation (i.e., Lieberman-Warner bill), stating that revenues from the bill are currently allocated to the states, not to cities and their priorities. Nickels also reminded his colleagues that the upcoming transportation reauthorization needs to address climate protection objectives.

In discussing the Conference’s climate protection activities, Nickels noted the importance of the Conference’s partnership with the Clinton Climate Initiative to help in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but indicated that “we must quantify progress” and welcomed an upcoming Conference'sponsored climate survey to help find out how cities are doing.

USCM staff reported that Senators Harry Reid (NV) and Richard Durbin (IL) had introduced a bill, S. 2636, the Foreclosure Prevention Act, that would provide $4 billion in CDBG funds for purchase and rehab of foreclosed properties, and also allow housing finance agencies to issue up to $10 billion in mortgage revenue bonds. The legislation would increase pre-foreclosure counseling funds to $200 million and change the bankruptcy code to allow judges to modify mortgages of families faced with mortgage foreclosure.

“We could not have asked for more from this proposal,” said Palmer, citing that the Conference had called for Congress to adopt the provisions contained in the legislation at its January Winter meeting in Washington, D.C.

Since the Key West meeting, S. 2636 failed to move on February 28 when it did not get the required 60 votes; the cloture vote was defeated 48-46. But the bill is expected to come back to the Senate floor after April 1 following the March recess.

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon briefly discussed her city’s suit of Wells Fargo Bank. The lawsuit contends that Baltimore is “facing an unprecedented crisis of residential foreclosures” which “has hit African-American neighborhoods and homeowners the hardest.” A major result of the foreclosures in Baltimore has been the decrease in property tax revenue.

Southfield (MI) Mayor Brenda Lawrence reported that she will testify before the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on March 7. The hearing will address executive compensation and severance arrangements for CEOs involved in the ongoing mortgage crisis and how the ongoing mortgage and home foreclosure crisis has impacted America’s municipalities.

In a related matter, Carmel (IN) Mayor James Brainard raised concerns over the health of the nation’s municipal bond market as a result of recent turmoil surrounding “auction rate securities” and concerns over the health of bond insurers. The mayors directed staff to monitor developments in the bond market and to examine the major factors leading to the market’s uncertainties.

Cardell Cooper, Executive Director of the National Community Development Association (NCDA), encouraged all mayors to get involved in National Community Development Week from March 24-30. Cities participation in the week-long event celebrating the accomplishments of the CDBG program will be especially needed this year as the push is made to get Congress to provide formula funding to at least $4.1 billion in the FY 2009 appropriations bill.

In a discussion led by Miami Mayor and USCM Vice President Manny Diaz, the Director of the U.S. Census Bureau, Steve Murdock, told mayors the 2010 census will feature a number of changes designed to better ensure a complete and accurate count in every community. In preparation for the census, the Bureau is conducting a “dress rehearsal” later this year in certain local areas (including the City of Fayetteville, North Carolina and the 9 surrounding counties) to test and validate new methods, procedures, systems, and processes that will be used in 2010.

The census has been redesigned in three major areas. First, the traditional long form, which was done every decade to gather data on a broad array of social and economic conditions ranging from the value of homes to personal income, will be replaced by the American Community Survey which will be done annually to provide more timely and accurate data. Second, the master address list will be improved to enable census enumerators to use GPS technology to obtain the spatial location of each residential structure. And lastly, the short form has been redesigned with 7 easy questions and will be the only form sent out in 2010 to count residents in the United States and Puerto Rico.

Murdock urged mayors who have signed up to participate in the Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) program to return the material mailed to them promptly so the Bureau can use it to help update the master address list. He also pointed out that for the first time the Bureau will mail out dual English'spanish questionnaires in the original census mailing.

Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory also discussed his city’s experience in challenging the Census Bureau’s count of the city’s population. With the help of Social Compact, he told mayors he was successful in documenting many residents that the Bureau had missed and as a result, 22,582 people were added to the city’s population. This meant that 7.3 percent of the city’s population was missed based on the Census Bureau’s 2005 population estimate. The increase, he said, makes the city eligible to receive millions more in federal funds. In closing he urged mayors to pay close attention to the census process and to invest the time and energy in developing an accurate address list.

Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy discussed the upcoming USCM/Nationwide Retirement Solution's campaign to promote saving for retirement and increase the awareness of deferred compensation plans available to public employees. The Conference will be working with Nationwide to provide Mayors with tools and resources to help educate and increase participation in deferred compensation during National Save for Retirement Week this fall.

Over 20 mayors attending the meeting signed a pledge sheet to be actively involved with the effort. Matt Riebel, President of Nationwide Retirement Solutions, thanked the Conference for their support over the years and urged Mayors to participate in the campaign to help their employees be well prepared for retirement.

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley gave an update as to the status of his city’s bid to host the 2016 Olympics. Chicago is the official United States representative in bidding for the 2016 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. In June, the International Olympic Committee will announce the four finalists’ cities. Following the announcement, the Mayor urged the mayors to reach out internationally to their sister cities and others that might be helpful to the city’s bid. At the 75th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, the Conference of Mayors adopted a resolution in support of Chicago’s bid.