LOC News
Cities – Time is Now to Build Momentum for Transportation Package
One full month of the 2025 session is now complete, and the Joint Committee on Transportation (JCT) is getting closer to producing a framework for the 2025 transportation package.
With the process currently in its building phase, there has also been a lot of political noise from different interests related to funding the package, and concerns over the Oregon Department of Transportation’s management of transportation projects named in HB 2017, which passed during the 2017 session.
The most important message the LOC can offer is that we need to build urgency with the Legislature that a transportation package is a priority for 2025. For our member cities, that urgency should focus on your local needs. Based on member surveys, the LOC has found that the collective operations and maintenance gap for cities is $633 million annually. This funding gap is based on improving the 40% of city roads that are in poor or very poor condition and getting them to a condition of “fair” or higher.
At the completion of the JCT’s workgroup process, which included participation from several LOC members, the following input was submitted to the committee. These comments and other information shared with the JCT frame the important messages that need to be repeated.
Cities – you need take the time in the next week to contact your state senator and representative. Keep your messages simple. We need to have your legislators reach out to the JCT members and focus your messages on the following:
- The 2025 Transportation Package is critical for Oregon’s entire transportation system.
- Local transportation infrastructure will continue to degrade without continued investments.
- The transportation package will be expensive, but if we do nothing or don’t provide enough investment, those costs will continue to accelerate.
- Local government leaders will support your efforts to pass a robust, multimodal transportation package.
More details on the transportation package are available here.
Contact: Jim McCauley, Legislative Director - jmccauley@orcities.org
Last Updated 2/14/25