RESOLUTION FOR BOARD MEETING OF OCTOBER 20, 2016
Title
RESOLUTION sponsored by the Board of Commissioners offering support for the proposed Safe Roads Constitutional Amendment (House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 36)
Body
WHEREAS, recent studies show that half of Illinois’ roads and 4,200 of Illinois’ bridges are in poor condition; and
WHEREAS, additional research by the Metropolitan Planning Council suggests that Illinois will need to invest $43 billion dollars in its transportation infrastructure over the next ten years, including roads, bridges, mass transit, intercity passenger rail, ports and airports; and
WHEREAS, the ability of state, county and local government entities to repair and construct water-related infrastructure is often closely related to their financial ability to repair and construct transportation infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, the ability of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago to complete the remaining portions of the Tunnel and Reservoir Plan is directly related to the conditions in the market for limestone, so that increased construction of road and other transportation infrastructure will contribute to the timely and efficient completion of the McCook Reservoir; and
WHEREAS, the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of the State of Illinois has recently resolved, the Senate concurring therein, that there shall be submitted to the electors of the State of Illinois a proposition to add Section 11 to Article 9 of the Illinois Constitution (“Section 11”); and
WHEREAS, Section 11, designated as House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 36 and commonly known as the Illinois Safe Roads Constitutional Amendment, provides that revenues collected to support transportation and transportation infrastructure shall only be expended for transportation and transportation infrastructure, broadly construed; and
WHEREAS, 31 other states already have similar provisions in place to ensure that revenues collected to support transportation and transportation infrastructure are spent only on transportation and transportation infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, the Illinois Safe Roads Constitutional Amendment has received overwhelming bipartisan support in the General Assembly, passing in the Illinois House of Representatives by a vote of 98 yeas, 4 nays, 2 present, and in the Illinois Senate by a vote of 55 yeas, 0 nays and 0 present; and
WHEREAS, the Illinois Safe Roads Constitutional Amendment would improve budget transparency; and
WHEREAS, the Illinois Safe Roads Constitutional Amendment would support economic and job growth throughout the state, and particularly in the Chicago metropolitan region; and
WHEREAS, it is consistent with the interests of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District that this amendment receive the approval of the electors of Illinois, as well as with the long-term interests of the Chicago metropolitan region and the state of Illinois as a whole; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, do hereby declare our support for Constitutional Amendment 36, the Illinois Safe Roads Constitutional Amendment; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Resolution be spread upon the permanent Record of Proceedings of the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and that the passage of this resolution be immediately communicated to the members of the public and to the Illinois General Assembly.
Dated: October 20, 2016
Approved: MARIYANA T. SPYROPOULOS, President; BARBARA J. MCGOWAN, Vice President; FRANK AVILA, Chairman, Committee on Finance; MICHAEL A. ALVAREZ; TIMOTHY BRADFORD; CYNTHIA M. SANTOS; DEBRA SHORE; KARI K. STEELE; DAVID J. WALSH; Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
Approved as to Form and Legality: Ronald M. Hill, General Counsel, RMH:yt