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Written Statement for the Record Walter Richard ( Richie ) Beyer IV , County Engineer , Elmore County , Alabama
March 1 , 2017 , Washington , D . C .
Chairman Palmer , Chairman Farenthold , Ranking Member Demings , Ranking Member Plaskett and distinguished members of the Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations and Subcommittee on Interior , Energy and Interior , thank you for holding today ’ s hearing . I am honored to testify before you today on federal environmental impediments to project delivery on behalf of the National Association of Counties and National Association of County Engineers .
My name is Richie Beyer , and I serve as the County Engineer for Elmore County , Alabama . Elmore County serves a population of approximately 82,000 and is one of the fastest growing counties in our state . Located just north of our state ’ s capital , Montgomery , we are a destination for many who wish to live in a setting with abundant natural resources , a quality education system and a comfortable standard of living . My experience in infrastructure development extends not only to Elmore County , but to the national level as well , as I am a past president of the National Association of County Engineers and currently serve as Vice-Chairman on the National Association of Counties ’ Transportation Steering Committee . I have served on various state and federal committees and working groups during my tenure with county government , many of which have focused on the effective delivery of projects and the effective use of federal funding .
Elmore County is responsible for over 1,000 public road miles and 127 public bridges within our boundaries . Our funding resources , however , are not sufficient to address what is needed to maintain our vast infrastructure . “ The Silent Crisis ,” a 2010 analysis of Alabama county roads and bridges , indicated Elmore County ’ s surface infrastructure system operates on
26 | COUNTY COMMISSION about one-third of the revenue needed to adequately maintain our road and bridges . It ’ s important to note that this analysis did not take into account the capacity needs of the county , only the basic maintenance needs for our roads and bridges . With Elmore County ’ s growing population as a burgeoning suburb of our state capital , our roads and bridges are experiencing more traffic than ever . As a result , our surface transportation infrastructure is under more increasing stress .
Counties face financial challenges because , in many cases , state legislatures limit our ability to raise revenue to fund critical infrastructure projects . The main general revenue sources for a great many counties are property and sales taxes . However , while counties in 45 states collect property taxes , they can only keep about a quarter ( 23.7 percent ) of what is collected . Limitations like these that significantly impact counties ’ ability to effectively raise additional revenue to pay for services and infrastructure , especially unforeseen expenses such as emergency repairs . Due to these state and local funding constraints , counties such as Elmore depend on a strong state and federal partnership to deliver transportation investments that are critical to our communities and our national economy . Our nation ’ s 3,069 counties build and maintain 45 percent of public road miles and 40 percent of bridges , as well as over one-third of the nation ’ s transit systems and airports . Not only do county roads , bridges and highways connect our counties and states , they serve as a lifeline for rural counties and our citizens , playing a critical role in the movement of freight and other goods and services .
This situation is not unique to Elmore County . My county shares many similarities with counties across the nation who work every day to stretch the taxpayer dollars they are entrusted to manage to ensure their most effective and efficient use . Counties are innovators and in many cases must be to survive . The federal government can assist this innovation by providing a regulatory environment designed to empower project delivery , not hamper it . My remarks to this committee today will provide recommendations to strengthen this cooperation .
I am reminded of an observation made to me several years ago by someone that I have great respect for . He observed that , in most situations , lower levels of government inevitably believe that the higher levels of government have the funding to address issues ,