In an event typically used to review the accomplishments made by the General Assembly in the past year, Republican Sen. Keith Faber announced an ambitious goal.
While sharing a stage with Gov. John Kasich and House Speaker Bill Batchelder, the senate president told the Ohio Chamber of Commerce that a resolution has been introduced to extend the state capital improvement program.
This program partners with the Ohio Public Works Commission to improve the infrastructure of communities around the state.
The program used to provide $150 million in project funding, but the proposed 10-year continuation would raise this to $175 million for the first five years, then $200 million for the next five years.
Faber told members of the chamber of commerce that this effort is “fully fundable.”
“You want to know how good of news that is?" Faber said. "Go home and talk to your county engineers. Go home and talk to your township trustees. Go home and talk to you city council. Go home and talk to your economic development directors locally about what this means to help your community build the infrastructure to help generate support for the next generation of jobs.”
Faber hopes to have the House and Senate approve the resolution by the end of January in order for the continuation to appear on the May 2014 ballot.
