COSTS AND THE DOT'S NEED FOR
STATE MONEY TO FIX, MAINTAIN AND
BUILD NEW ROADWAYS ALWAYS RISES
TO THE TOP OF STATE BUDGET
PRIORITIES.
THE RECENTLY PASSED TWO-YEAR
STATE BUDGET WAS NO DIFFERENT.
THOUGH THERE WERE DIFFERENT
IDEAS FOR FUNDING SOURCES, SPLIT
ALONG PARTY LINES, IN THE END,
STATE FUNDING FOR LOCAL
TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS GOT A
BOOST: A 10% INCREASE OR
$66 MILLION OVER THE BIENNIUM,
PLUS A $75 MILLION GRANT PROGRAM
FOR ONE-TIME FUNDING.
TONIGHT WE CHECK IN WITH THE
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
SECRETARY DESIGNEE, CRAIG
THOMPSON, ON THE ISSUE OF LOCAL
TRANSPORTATION NEEDS.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> HI, FREDERICA, THANKS FOR
HAVING ME.
>> SURE.
SO HOW FAR WILL THE 10% BOOST IN
THE $75 MILLION GRANT PROGRAM GO
TOWARD HELPING THESE STRAPPED
COUNTIES AND LOCALS MEET THEIR
HIGHWAY NEEDS?
>> I THINK THE WAY YOU JUST
DESCRIBED IT IS VERY FAIR AND
VERY IMPORTANT.
THE 10% INCREASE IN GENERAL
TRANSPORTATION AIDS IS ONGOING
WITH ONGOING REVENUE AND I THINK
THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR COUNTIES
AND CITIES AND VILLAGES AND
TOWNS TO BUILD A PLAN, HOW
THEY'RE GOING TO USE THAT, WHERE
THEY'RE GOING TO START MAKING
REPAIRS.
THE $75 MILLION GRANT PROGRAM IS
GOING TO BE HELPFUL AS WELL BUT
WITH ONE-TIME MONEY, THIS IS
MORE JUST FOR A SPECIFIC
IMPROVEMENT PROJECT, SO IT'S ONE
OF THE REASONS THE GOVERNOR
VETOED IT THE WAY HE DID RATHER
THAN PUTTING THE $75 MILLION
INTO LOCAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
THAT COULD NOT BE SUSTAINED,
WE'RE SETTING UP A SEPARATE
GRANT PROGRAM WHERE WE CAN HAVE
DISCREET SPECIFIC PROJECTS COME
IN, DEMONSTRATE ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT AND THEN WE CAN MAKE
AWARDS BASED ON THAT FOR THOSE
SPECIFIC PROGRAMS.
>> GETTING BACK TO THE TIE-IN
WITH ZAC'S REPORTING, IN HIS
REPORT, THE TOWN OF HAYWARD SAYS
IT IS RE-THINKING THE APPROACH
TO ROAD BUILDING BECAUSE OF RAIN
AND FLOOD EVENTS AND THE DAMAGE
THAT THOSE CAUSE.
IS THE DOT ALSO RE-THINKING ITS
APPROACH AND HELPING LOCALS TO
DO SO?
>> YOU KNOW, THIS IS SOMETHING I
WAS JUST AT A CONVENTION OF
MIDWEST STATES, OTHER
SECRETARIES FROM OTHER DOTs,
AND RESILIENCY ACROSS THE ENTIRE
COUNTRY FOR DOTs IS BECOMING A
VERY, VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE.
AND AGAIN, IT'S A BALANCING TEST
BECAUSE WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THIS
AND WHAT'S GOING ON WITH CLIMATE
CHANGE AND WITH WEATHER EVENTS
IN AREAS LIKE NORTHWEST, BUT WE
STILL HAVE TO CONTINUE TO
PRIORITIZE, WHETHER IT'S ALONG
CRITICAL COMMERCE CORRIDORS,
BECAUSE WE CAN'T JUST START
ENGINEERING EVERY AREA UP TO
100-YEAR FLOODS OR THINGS LIKE
THAT, IT'S JUST NOT PRACTICAL.
SO WE HAVE TO RELY ON THE BEST
DATA, THE BEST SCIENCE AND
BEGIN, BUT RE-LOOKING AT SOME OF
THESE AREAS THAT HAVE PERSISTENT
ISSUE, HOW WE DEAL WITH THAT.
>> IN TERMS OF RESILIENCY, HOW
DOES WISCONSIN FARE COMPARED TO
OTHER STATES IN TERMS OF
BUILDING FOR THAT?
>> WELL, I THINK WE'RE ALL
LARGELY IN THE SAME BOAT THERE.
THERE'S SOME OTHER STATES THAT
HAVE HAD VERY CRITICAL COMMERCE
CORRIDORS TAKEN OUT WITH
HURRICANES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
LUCKILY WE HAVEN'T HAD THAT TO
DATE, BUT I THINK IT'S GOT ALL
THE STATES LOOKING AT THIS IN
EARNEST, AND I DO THINK WHILE AT
THE STATE LEVEL, WE'RE GOING TO
HAVE TO DO GOOD PLANNING.
SOME OF THIS IS GOING TO HAVE TO
COME AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL AS
WELL.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
IN THE CITY OF HAYWARD, GOING
BACK KIND OF -- RESIDENTS ARE
EXPERIENCING SEVERE FLOODING IN
PART BECAUSE THE CITY IS WAITING
UNTIL 2023 FOR STATE MONEY TO
HELP FIX A CULVERT.
WHAT DO YOU SAY AS THE
SECRETARY-DESIGNEE TO THOSE
PEOPLE WHO CAN'T NOT IMAGINE
WAITING FOUR YEARS TO ADDRESS
THAT ONE PROBLEM?
>> WELL, THIS IS PART OF THE
REASON THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING
THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT
TRANSPORTATION RESOURCES AND
FUNDING IN SUCH ERNEST.
TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, THERE'S
OTHER LOCALITIES YOU CAN TALK TO
THAT AREN'T ON ANY SCHEDULE
RIGHT NOW TO HAVE SOME OF THESE
SORTS OF THINGS REPLACE.
REPLACED.
I KNOW FOUR YEARS SEEMS LIKE A
LONG TIME ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE
IN ONE OF THESE AREAS BUT WE'RE
TRYING TO MOVE THESE THINGS UP,
OUR STATE HIGHWAY REHABILITATION
WENT INTO THIS BUDGET BUT
THERE'S A LOT LOCAL NEEDS OUT
THERE.
>> WHAT HAS BEEN THE STATE
CLIMATE OVERALL?
>> I DON'T KNOW THAT ANY OF US
CAN GIVE A DEFINITIVE ANSWER TO
THAT, BUT IN YOUR REPORTING AND
YOU LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENED WITH
THAT FLOODING UP THERE, AS A
MATTER OF FACT, JUST WITH THE
HIGH WINDS RECENTLY IN NORTHWEST
WISCONSIN, AGAIN, WE JUST
LIFTED -- WE JUST LIFTED SOME
WEIGHT RESTRICTIONS AND SOME
HIGHWAYS TO ALLOW THEM TO GET
SOME OF THESE FALLEN TREES AND
TIMBER OUT OF THERE MORE
QUICKLY.
SO IT IS HAVING IMPACTS ON US IN
A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS, AND
IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO
KEEP RELYING ON SCIENCE AND
UPDATING HOW WE'RE DEALING WITH
THIS.
>> WHAT HAS BEEN THE IMPACT OF
FEMA'S REQUIREMENT THAT WHEN ITS
EMERGENCY FUNDS ARE USED TO
REBUILD STORM DAMAGED
INFRASTRUCTURE, THAT IT BE BUILT
TO PRIOR SPECS?
>> THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE
TALKED ABOUT WHEN I MENTIONED I
WAS AT THIS MEETING WITH OTHER
MIDWEST STATES AND AT THE
FEDERAL LEVEL, WE WANT TO HAVE
THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
IS THAT REALLY THE BETION BEST USE OF
TAXPAYER DOLLARS?
IF YOU'RE DEALING WITH AN AREA
THAT THERE'S A LIKELIHOOD THAT
THIS EVENT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN TO
SPEND ALL THAT MONEY JUST TO
BUILD UP THE PRIOR
SPECIFICATIONS WHEN THAT VERY
WELL MIGHT DB WE -- WE MIGHT BE
REBUILDING IT AGAIN.
AGAIN, THOSE FEMA REGULATIONS AT
THE FEDERAL LEVEL, WE NEED TO BE
HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
>> SO CAN THE STATE DO ANYTHING
ABOUT THAT, THOUGH?
>> WELL, I THINK WE CAN WEIGH
IN -- THAT HAS TO DO WITH WHEN
FEMA DOLLARS ARE INVOLVED SO WE
CAN AFFECT A LOT OF OTHER AREAS
WHERE THEY'RE NOT INVOLVED.
WITH OUR STRUCTURES, WHEN THEY
DO GET TO END OF LIFE AND WE'RE
REBUILDING THEM, WE USED TO HAVE
A 25 AND 50 YEAR FOR THAT, NOW
WE'RE LOOKING AT MORE OF A 100
YEAR.
SO OUR PROACTIVE SPECS, WE ARE
TRYING TO BUILD SOME OF THAT IN
IN THESE AREAS AND IN SPECIFIC
AREAS, WE CAN LOOK AT IF THERE'S
PERSISTENT FLOODING, FOR
EXAMPLE, WE CAN GO BACK AND LOOK
AT THAT.
>> SHIFTING GEARS WITH LESS THAN
A MINUTE LEFT HERE, THE
REPUBLICAN CONTROLLED SENATE HAS
NOT APPROVED A SINGLE MEMBER OF
GOVERNOR EVERS' CABINET.
HAS THAT AFFECTED YOUR ABILITY
TO DO YOUR JOB?
>> IT REALLY HASN'T.
TO ME, I LOOK TO THE PEOPLE AT
THE DEPARTMENT AND JUST TO MAKE
SURE THAT WE'RE RUNNING THE
PROGRAM EFFECTIVELY TO JUST GO
ABOUT AND DO OUR JOB, AND THAT'S
WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING.
THERE'S NO RESTRICTIONS ON THE
ABILITY OF US TO BE ABLE TO DO
THAT.
>> DO YOU THINK KEEPING YOU AS
SECRETARY-DESIGNEE GIVES THE
SENATE LEVERAGE OVER YOU OR ANY
OF YOUR DECISIONS?
>> I HAVEN'T REALLY FELT THAT,
AND I THINK EVENTUALLY THEY'LL
GET AROUND TO DOING IT BUT IN
THE MEANTIME, I THINK WE JUST
NEED TO DO OUR