In early February, CEC Cincinnati‘s Mary McConnell, P.E., attended the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Ohio Southwest Chapter Meeting “State Legislator Fly-In” for a private luncheon in Liberty Township, Ohio. Attendees listened to remarks from ACEC leadership and legislators followed by an informal Q&A discussion about the engineering industry. The event’s legislative guests included District 4 Senator George Lang, District 10 Senator Bob Hackett, District 47 Representative Sara Carruthers, and District 46 Representative Thomas Hall.
Conversations with legislators mostly focused on infrastructure funding. According to this group of representatives, Ohio’s capital budgets aren’t borrowing money. In fact, they say Ohio is growing faster than most other states in the U.S. and is experiencing the greatest influx of business and growth in 30 years. Because of this, Ohio’s small business tax credit has netted nearly a million new small businesses. According to the legislators, what will come next is the need for residential development followed by an economic boom. Something to note about this influx of infrastructure money is the funding cliff is still three or four years out. This could create infrastructure growth for a few more years followed by sizeable commercial, industrial, and residential multi-family growth.
Legislative leaders also commented that providing exact budgets for more than a few years in the future is both impossible and unnecessary, especially with our complex funding, responses, and economy. They are also seeking alternative findings for the Ohio Department of Transportation at the federal level. According to Mary, “This event was an opportunity for civil engineers to ask questions and learn about funding, development, design, and construction while connecting with decision-makers at an impactful level.”
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