Washington lobbyist: Funding requests should focus on infrastructure

Steve Pruitt attempted to provide Fort Smith city directors and city staffers a crash course in the new and potential realities of what it will take to effectively lobby Congress during the next few months and into 2011 and 2012.

The information was presented during the board’s study session held Tuesday (Oct. 26).

Pruitt, a lobbyist with Washington D.C.-based Watts Partners, talked about the federal budget and appropriations timetables in coming months, and stressed to the directors the need to be more focused and precise with Congressional funding requests. Watts Partners is the lobbying firm retained by the city of Fort Smith.

Three primary points were made by Pruitt during his update on political realities — as dynamic as those realities are — in Washington:
• The funding process is out of whack because Congress has yet to approve a 2011 budget resolution;
• The funding/earmark process will become more rigorous; and,
• The Obama Administration and Congress may be more focused on funding infrastructure projects that have a better chance of producing jobs.

Pruitt said “signals” in funding priorities suggest a “heightened focus” on special funding and earmark programs going to true infrastructure projects. Just $29 billion of the about $900 billion stimulus plan went for roads and other infrastructure projects, and that didn’t ultimately create enough jobs, Pruitt explained.

“It produced far less than the 1 million jobs they projected,” Pruitt said.

To that end, Pruitt strongly encouraged the city to “determine” and “communicate” a more precise list of funding priorities — preferably with an infrastructure component. He also said the budget timetable dates “are critical” for the city to meet in order to improve chances for funding. Key dates in the timetable include: Sept. 30, federal agencies submit first funding requests to the Office of Management & Budget; Dec. 15, agencies submit revised requests to OMB; Jan. 30, agencies submit final budget requests to OMB.

The city board is expected to formally approve the city’s top 10 funding requests at their Nov. 2 regular meeting. The proposed priority list is as follows.
1. Interstate 49 between Interstate 40 and U.S. 71 South (project would include a bridge across the Arkansas River)
2. Industrial site improvements (rail, sewer, roads, water) at Chaffee Crossing
3. May Branch flood control
4. Wet weather sanitary sewer system improvements
5. U.S. Marshals Museum (utility extensions)
6. Arkansas 45 widening between Zero Street and U.S. 71 South
6. Runway expansion at the Fort Smith Regional Airport
7. Lake Fort Smith water transmission line
9. Jenny Lind Road project between Dallas Street and Phoenix Avenue
10. Trolley system extension in downtown Fort Smith

During the study session, the board rejected a staff suggestion to add development of a homeless services campus to the priority list.

On the funding requests, Pruitt advised the city to become “more aggressive” in asking for the full amount of a project, and prioritize with projects that “can be up and running in a quick fashion.”

Pruitt said more precise requests focused on infrastructure, and strategic and timely visits by elected leaders from Fort Smith will improve the chances of funding. With about 600 funding requests for every $1 of federal money, Pruitt said, it’s important to be as aggressive and accurate as possible with the requests and the personal follow-up visits with members of Congress.

More accurate and aggressive requests may also help cut through the clutter of a Congress that may be in a bitter partisan government funding debate during the lame duck session of Congress and into 2011 with the new Congress, Pruitt said.

Pruitt also advised working close with U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., because Pryor is not in a reelection fight and is a member of the all-important Senate Appropriations Committee. Pruitt said Pryor “has been our go-to guy” because “he will be in the room when (funding) decisions are made” and not standing on the outside wondering what decisions are being made.