SENATOR YOUNG ANNOUNCES 57th SENATE DISTRICT "CHIPS" FUNDING

Senator Catharine Young (R,I,C - Olean) today announced that the 2008-09 State budget includes nearly $9 million for communities in her district from the state’s Consolidated Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS). The funding was included in the Transportation and Economic Development budget bill approved by the Legislature.

Municipalities throughout the 57th Senate District will receive a total of $8,817,006.20 in CHIPS aid, for various infrastructure and maintenance projects.

"This is critically important funding the State provides to all local governments to help them improve, repair and maintain local roads," Senator Young said. "The quality of our roads is vital to our economy and quality of life. Governor Spitzer’s budget proposed cutting local highway aid, but the Senate worked to reprioritize the budget so we could not only restore the cut, but increase this aid."

Senator Young said the Executive Budget proposed reducing the CHIPS program by $9.1 million. The Senate fought, not only to restore the cut, but to increase CHIPS local road aid by an additional $51 million, resulting a total increase over the Executive Budget of $60 million.

"Providing these funds will mean that localities can move forward with important road improvement projects without placing additional pressure on local property taxes," Senator Young said. "Even with the restoration and increase in local road aid, the final State budget will spend less than what was proposed in the Executive Budget.

(County funding is listed below. For detailed City, Town and Village funding breakouts, download the images from Senator Young’s photo gallery at www.senatorcathyyoung.com.)

Allegany County $1,987,292.84
Cattaraugus County $2,336,766.76
Chautauqua County $3,108,639.65
Livingston $1,384,306.95