Page 29 - ATR 2 2019 digital

WHY NOW?
“I think it’s the urgency of the
moment and that’s what’s great about “ONCE WE STARTED MOVING IT THROUGH THE
the elections and getting out and hav-
ing town hall meetings. You really LEGISLATIVE PROCESS, THERE WAS STRONG SUPPORT
hear from the voters and the people of FOR IT. AND WHENEVER A LEGISLATOR MIGHT
Arkansas as to what their priorities are. WAVER AND SAY, ‘DO WE REALLY WANT TO DO THIS?’
And roads was clearly the number one
priority the people of Arkansas had,” USUALLY THEY’D HEAR FROM THEIR CONSTITUENTS
Hutchinson says. “As I went through my BACK HOME SAYING, ‘WE’VE GOT TO HAVE A
first term, I had a lot of different agen- HIGHWAY PLAN.’ AND THE LEGISLATORS WENT HOME
da items, but I recognized that every ON THE WEEKEND, AND THEY’D BE TALKING TO
agenda item I had centered around
growth for the state of Arkansas. And if CONSTITUENTS AND MEETING WITH THEIR LEADERS
we’re going to grow as a state, which I WHERE THAT GOT REINFORCED.”
want to do, then you have to have good
infrastructure, you have to have good
roads and you have to be able to keep up
with that growth.”
Gov. Hutchinson realized that he to-open casinos, and more. (See full do, and I said, ‘We’re going to have a
couldn’t accomplish the growth he details of the final plan on page 36.) news conference next Monday, and
wanted without an effective highway After more than 20 years since the we’re going to announce a highway
plan, and despite a lot of hype around state increased fuel taxes or raised sig- plan.”
infrastructure talks at the national nificant funds for the Department of There was no plan at that moment,
level, he couldn’t wait for Washington Transportation to maintain state, coun- but he needed the pressure of a deadline
to solve Arkansas’ problem. “They’re not ty and city infrastructure, Hutchinson to raise the urgency.
going to get to it, and so you saw more proposed a plan that passed with bipar- “I have to have a deadline, and
and more states grabbing hold of their tisan support one month later. then I set aside part of the week, but
future and saying, ‘We’ve got to address So how did highway funding go also the weekend, to really concentrate
it’. And so, I recognized that I wanted from a widespread need to passed legis- and to work on this. From just my own
to make highways a better funding plan lation? thoughts and from looking at the bud-
priority for my second term.” “Well, it is quite a story,” get and all the competing ideas that are
There wasn’t one Eureka moment Hutchinson says. out there, I came up with the outline of
that convinced him our roads and When he announced infrastruc- a plan.”
bridges needed his immediate atten- ture funding as priority and promised It was a busy weekend. He took his
tion. Instead, being familiar with the a long-term highway funding program, outline and started shopping it around
congestion of Northwest Arkansas, duck the governor’s intention was to let the to different coalitions. But before it was
hunting in eastern Arkansas, traveling general assembly have an opportunity ready, there were a few compromises
to an event in the Delta or on one of to sort through the issue first. “A lot and adjustments to make.
the farm-to-market roads, he saw the of them were working on what kind of
disrepair with his own eyes and the risk plan they wanted. I sensed that they NEGOTIATING A DEAL FOR
associated with it. “That really caused didn’t want a heavy hand from the gov- EVERYONE
me to recognize this is not a regional ernor, and so I gave them that time to Hutchinson’s first draft of his
problem but a statewide problem.” work. plan tallied up to around $260 million,
He saw the need across the state, “As we started the legislative ses- maybe $275 million, he estimates. This
but also the support from all different sion, I said it was a priority, but there included asking Arkansans to vote on
types of constituents “from our farmers was no plan. And then I had the legisla- extending a half-cent sales tax they
to our truckers to our industry.” tors coming to me and saying, ‘Well, were already paying that was set to
On Mon. Feb. 11, Gov. Hutchinson we’ve worked on it, but nothing’s going expire in 2023. Making the sales tax
held a press conference at the Capitol to to happen without your leadership. permanent would raise over $200 mil-
detail the biggest highway funding plan You’ve got to step up and announce lion toward the long-term funding plan.
the state has ever passed. It included a what your plan is.’” A coalition of stakeholders and leg-
fuel tax increase, fees for electric and This was the first week of February. islators had gathered around the table
hybrid vehicles, revenue from soon- He explains, “And so I did what I always 

ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 2 2019 29