Construction priorities urged

• By MICHELLE MILLHOLLON
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: Nov 11, 2009 - Page: 1A

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State officials want Louisiana to spend more of its construction dollars on roads instead of projects such as opera houses and museums.

The Commission on Streamlining Government recommended Tuesday that the Legislature create a formula to divvy up funding for construction, or capital outlay, projects.

There currently is no formula.

The proposed formula would be:

• 60 percent of money would be spent on roads and bridges.
• 20 percent to maintain public colleges and universities.
• 20 percent on building projects such as opera houses, animal shelters and baseball stadiums.

The commission, which is studying ways to cut costs in state government, agreed to the formula after some initial resistance from the Jindal administration.

State Treasurer John Kennedy originally wanted 75 percent of capital outlay funds to be dedicated to road construction and maintenance over the next five years.

Commissioner of Administration Angèle Davis, who is one of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s top aides, objected.

Davis said the proposal would tie the administration’s hands and limit the ability to address more than $2 billion in needed work on college campuses.

“It will tie our hands. It’s intended to tie our hands,” Kennedy told her.

Kennedy said the state construction budget contains money for museums, courthouses, baseball stadiums, animal shelters and an opera house.

“Those aren’t roads,” he said.

The spending suggests the state needs to reconsider priorities rather than contemplate raising the gasoline tax to fund road projects, Kennedy said.