Category archive for ‘Transportation’ rss

  • TRAC committee would rather not hear your thoughts on streetcar vote

    TRAC committee releases public hearing guidelines for upcoming vote on the Cincinnati streetcar project. Guidelines permit only 20 minuets for public comment in support of the project.

    4/08/11 • (0)

  • Cincinnati Stripped From Receiving Funds For Streetcars In Transportation Budget

    Streetcar proposal projected to create thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in economic development denied access to much needed state funds in transportation project.

    3/23/11 • (2)

  • Turnpike Lease is a Budget Red Herring

    Attention has been paid in recent days to the possibility of privatizing the Ohio Turnpike as part of a budget fix. According to the Plain Dealer, Cleveland-area transportation officials have been told by legislators that a Turnpike lease will be part of the Governor’s budget submission on Tuesday. Despite all the coverage, there is a major reason this cannot be part of any budget solution, and it is this:

    It is unconstitutional.

    3/11/11 • (7)

  • Tax break for petroleum passes House, despite urging of other industry groups

    How much do House GOP members love the petroleum industry? So much that they ignored the pleadings of several other industry groups opposed to a new tax break included in the transportation budget, which was passed by the Ohio House of Representatives today.

    3/10/11 • (3)

  • [Updated] Kasich administration intends to cancel state’s highest-ranking transportation project

    According to newspaper accounts, Governor Kasich is planning to kill ODOT funding for the Cincinnati streetcar project, despite the project receiving the highest score of all projects considered by the independent Transportation Review Advisory Committee. The TRAC, as it is known, was set up to take politics out of the selection process, and use objective scoring criteria to rank and approve major new transportation projects. This development should concern supporters of other high-scoring projects around the state.

    3/09/11 • (1)

  • ODOT budget update: tax break for petroleum industry and other amendments

    The House Finance Committee passed a substitute version of HB114, the transportation budget bill, on Monday. Included among the many amendments was a provision granting a tax break to the petroleum industry worth up to $10 million annually. We discuss that and a few other amendments included in the bill.

    3/08/11 • (3)

  • State Budget: The Week Ahead

    Just a quick post to remind everyone that two of the three appropriations bills for State Government have been introduced and having hearings in the House of Representatives this week. We have information on committee hearings for the BWC and Transportation budgets, both active this week.

    2/28/11 • (0)

  • What’s in the Dept. of Transportation Budget?

    The ODOT budget, introduced yesterday, is a status quo preservation act. We like to call it a cut-and-paste job from Strickland’s last two year budget, except a lot less bold and innovative. We offer a rundown of the key initiatives, both building on the last budget, and going in new directions, as well as things that stand out as missing from the bill, and likely amendments.

    2/24/11 • (3)

  • Transportation Budget Preview – ODOT and Public Safety issues to watch

    Tomorrow features the first hearings on the FY 2012-2013 transportation budget, with testimony from the Departments of Public Safety in the morning and from ODOT in the afternoon in the House Finance committee. We present some policy issues and key decisions to watch when the budget is released.

    2/22/11 • (0)

  • Transportation Budget testimony to start next week

    We received our committee notice from House Finance yesterday that hearings were to begin on the State Transportation Budget next week. Here is the information: Wednesday, February 23, 9 a.m., House Finance Hearing Room (Rm 313), Ohio Statehouse Testimony from the Department of Public Safety Wednesday, February 23, immediately after House session, Rm 313 Testimony [...]

    2/18/11 • (0)