Letter: Thanks to legislators for funding public works programs

Thanks to the bipartisan leadership of legislators, there is a good chance that the state Public Works Board’s 2017 recommended loan projects will be funded, including $6 million for the city of Kennewick’s automated meter reading project and $6 million toward the overall project of $23.7 million for the U.S. 395/Ridgeline interchange.

The Public Works Assistance Account (PWAA) was created more than 30 years ago to help local jurisdictions finance infrastructure improvements. The program, governed by a 13-member governor-appointed Public Works Board, is funded primarily from taxes on local utilities, real estate excise taxes and the repayment of previous loans. In the years following the recession, however, the funds were diverted away from the PWAA to backfill shortfalls in programs for essential public services.

This year the Legislature — with strong bipartisan support — is poised to allocate $97.1 million to restart the program and to approve legislation which improves how it works. Final approval is pending.

Legislators deserve much credit for recognizing the need to fund the Public Works Assistance Account and to support the legislation improving the Public Works Board programs.

This story was originally published May 24, 2017 at 12:52 PM with the headline "Letter: Thanks to legislators for funding public works programs."