Idaho Contractors Support Governor’s Transportation Plan
Governor’s “Building Idaho’s Future” Initiative to Create Thousands of Idaho Jobs
January 11, 2021. Boise, Idaho
Contact: Wayne Hammon – whammon@idahoagc.org
Contractors from across the state expressed their support for the “Building Idaho’s Future” initiative outlined earlier today by Governor Brad Little in his annual “State of the State.”
“Governor Little’s exciting plan is what Idaho needs at this time to address the significant shortfalls facing the state’s aging infrastructure,” stated Idaho Associated General Contractors (AGC) President Jessee Rosin with Knife River Corporation in Boise. “Investments like those outlined by the Governor will create thousands of high-paying jobs and help ensure that Idaho’s growing economy remains on track.”
Research from the University of Colorado Boulder for the AGC of America indicates that for every $100 million Idaho invests in highway construction, the state reaps a $164.7 million dollar return in economic impact and adds 1,105 jobs – including direct construction employment, supply chain purchases, and employee spending. Idaho employment data shows that most Idaho construction workers earn more than their peers in other industries, making the Governor’s decision to invest in infrastructure the right choice.
According to the Governor’s speech, the transportation portion of the initiative uses both one-time surplus funds and on-going revenue enhancements to address a wide range of state and local priorities. Surplus moneys will provide an estimated $126 million in construction projects in every region of the state. A proposed increase in dedicated user fees and support from the state’s General Fund will allow the state to complete over $1.5 billion worth of much needed work over the next several years. These increases are accompanied by a 2-to-1 offset in tax cuts.
“Without this type of significant investment, Idaho’s transportation infrastructure runs the risk of becoming even more outdated and a drain on every Idahoan’s livelihood,” stated Idaho AGC CEO and former state budget director Wayne Hammon. “With the state’s outstanding credit rating and historically low interest rates, the Governor’s plan to issue bonds to build $1.5 billion worth of much needed infrastructure is smart business sense. The Idaho AGC fully endorses this plan and looks forward to partnering with members of the state legislature to incorporate their ideas into a call to action that I am sure will earn wide support among lawmakers.”
“Idaho’s diverse contracting community is ready, willing, and able to implement this exciting work,” added Idaho AGC Vice President Darrin Dance with Gale Lim Construction in Blackfoot.
The Idaho AGC is the state’s largest, most-trusted network of commercial construction professionals. Its more than 600 member companies build the multi-family housing, manufacturing and retail spaces, churches, hospitals, schools, and public works where Idahoans work, shop, or visit every day along with the roads, bridges, and utilities that connect them all together.
Learn more at www.idahoagc.org.
Details of the UC Boulder model can be found at: https://www.agc.org/agc-construction-impact-model
Idaho employment data and additional information on construction jobs in Idaho can be found at: https://www.agc.org/sites/default/files/Files/Construction%20Data/ID.pdf