REVIEW OF ISTEA By WILLIAM T. SUNLEY, Engineer of Local Roads and Streets

We have been under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) for two years. ISTEA has changed our way of thinking about the use of federal funds.

In fiscal year 1994, the federal funds available to local governments will be 113 million dollars to cover the standard highway, bridge and safety programs. Additional funds are available to local governments through the Enhancement Program, Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program, Major Bridge Program, and Demonstration Projects. This office will be working with local governments to develop a three year federal aid program, a new requirement of the ISTEA. The district offices, in conjunction with local governments, have just completed assembling the FY 1994 program. Therefore we will only need to develop the FY 95 and FY 96 programs to be in compliance with ISTEA.

Enhancement Program projects are required to meet one of the following groups: non-motorized vehicle and pedestrian projects, historic projects with transportation linkage, landscaping and scenic beautification projects, and control of outdoor advertising. The first round of submittals for this program included nearly 300 projects with a price tag greater than 200 million dollars. Approximately 20 million dollars is available in the FY 93 program for this first round. The next round of submittals will be in the fall of 1993. Please let your district office know if you have a project for this program. This program is open to all local highway agencies around the state. Highway agencies, in the past, have not been given the opportunity to spend federal highway dollars on any of the above items.

Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program (CMAQ) funds are directed towards transportation projects in non-attainment areas regarding the Clean Air Act. There are two non-attainment areas within the state, Chicago and East St. Louis. Project criteria require that the projects selected show a reduction in the emissions causing pollution. Projects such as transit related (bus or train), non-motorized vehicle, and pedestrian paths are the typical use for these funds. This program provides local governments with the ability to transfer highway dollars to transit projects if they so desire. Transfers can be done by using CMAQ or Surface Transportation Program (STP) funds.

The state has developed a program called Major Bridge which is funded with a portion of the Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program (BRRP) funds from the ISTEA act. Local projects must have a total cost of one million dollars or more to be eligible for this program. The district offices just completed their submittals from local governments for this program. Twenty seven structures were submitted by local governments with an overall cost of 90 million dollars. The final selection will be announced in the near future. Local governments will probably see about 30-40 million dollars committed for their structures on the municipal, county and township systems.

Demonstration Projects are specific projects that were listed in the ISTEA act. Projects selected had to meet one of the following criteria: high cost bridges, congestion relief, high priority corridors, rural and urban access, priority intermodal and innovative projects. Local governments had twenty eight projects for a cost of approximately 150 million dollars written into the ISTEA.

Highway funding has changed due to the ISTEA act. In addition to the strandard highway, bridge, and safety funds, the above special funds are available to help fund local government projects. Local governments across the state have benefited from the ISTEA act.

Page 16 / Illinois Municipal Review / April 1993

The Society For Human Resource Management (SHRM) announced that Village of Mount Prospect Personnel Corrdinator Donna Russell recently earned the Human Resource Certification Institute's certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). Certification is awarded to those who pass a rigorous examination on their knowledge in the field of Human Resource Management. In addition, theoretical knowledge and practical experiences are also required for certification.

The Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) is the research and credentialing affiliate of SHRM which is the largest organization in the world representing human resource professionals. The purpose of the Institute is to maintain high profressional standards in the field of human resource management and to formally recognize professionals who demonstrate expertise in the field.

Page 17 / Illinois Municipal Review / April 1993