Category: Mary Scott Nabers’ Insights

Public officials and contractors know about redevelopment districts, special tax benefits and alternative funding available through the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) program. But the program has morphed somewhat, and the coveted funding and tax benefits are even more attractive now. That’s because of the innovative ways that some states are using the program. The TIF […]

Water that is clean, safe, and adequate is essential to human existence. It’s also a critical component of industry and economic development. And yet, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced that 53 percent of river and stream miles, 71 percent of lakes, 80 percent of estuarine square miles, and 98 percent of the Great […]

Last week the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) disbursed $1.5 billion for upcoming projects designed to make highway, multimodal freight and rail infrastructure safer, more efficient and resilient. More will follow and it is important to note that while state transportation agencies will oversee most of the projects, the work will be done in cities […]

Congress has several funding programs designed to incentivize private sector firms to help preserve America’s history, but the historic tax credit (HTC) program is the largest one. This particular program has leveraged more than $102 billion in private investment to rehabilitate older public assets in exchange for tax credits. The doors are currently open for […]

Another $3 billion in federal funding is now available for state and local governmental entities. This funding was allocated in the American Rescue Plan (ARPA) legislation that passed in 2021 but it took this long to design the allocation process and the funding has only recently started flowing. The new revenue will soon create hundreds […]

School districts throughout the U.S. are launching initiatives to keep students safe in classrooms. Millions of dollars are being spent but, relief is not coming quickly enough for most parents, students, teachers, and administrators. Campus comfort is hard to find currently. Teachers and administrators are focused on security, threats, incident attempts, cybersecurity breaches, and other […]

A deadline is looming for an important announcement by the federal government. On September 30, state leaders throughout the country will learn whether or not their electric vehicle infrastructure plans were approved. If the news is good, funding will be immediately available for planned projects. If the news is bad, those state officials will go […]

The federal government recently made large amounts of funding available for street projects that are designed to make roadways safer. The funding is available now for public entities throughout the country. The Complete Streets Program is a federal initiative that was created to reimagine transportation infrastructure and make streets safer. It is part of an […]

Hundreds of millions in federal funding flowed to bus rapid transit (BRT) systems last month…and there is more to come. Expanding and improving rapid transit systems in America is a high priority for members of Congress and also local government officials. The goal is to make public transportation more convenient and attractive, and the hope […]

‘Bridging the Digital Divide’ initiatives are being launched throughout the country and as projects are completed, America will be forever changed. The connectivity efforts will result in thousands of new opportunities, more efficient government, better education, enhanced healthcare, and greater public safety. Ultimately, millions of Americans will benefit. It is difficult to grasp how costly […]

Public officials about to launch large infrastructure projects need to know as much as possible about Regional Infrastructure Accelerators (RIAs). Private sector companies interested in participating in infrastructure projects should also understand this relatively new federal program because there were only two objectives when it was created–to incentivize collaborative initiatives and ensure success for infrastructure […]

Here’s something worthy of note. The federal government has awarded over one billion dollars to a nationwide slate of resilience projects since the start of August this year. FEMA’s recent grants—totaling $1.2 billion—are available for communities ready to launch projects designed to guard against the ravages of future natural hazards. The objective, of course, is […]

Just months ago, the U.S. Senate authorized the largest five-year research and development budget in U.S. history. The $250 billion investment marks a monumental increase in federal support for projects that deploy smart city technology. To no surprise, state and local public officials are enthusiastic about launching these types of projects. Technology that is especially […]

Bike trails and greenway projects no longer represent inconsequential amounts of funding. In fact, these types of projects now represent a spending impact that exceeds $10.6 billion annually. Data indicates trail development projects that encourage hiking, biking, and walking result in numerous benefits and can be credited for about $20 billion in health cost savings. […]

As construction, engineering, and development firms consider the impact of inflation and the increasing cost of capital, some are beginning to embrace projects designed to provide tax incentives. These types of projects fall into the category of ‘adaptive reuse’ and a federal program grants attractive tax incentives when private sector firms work with public officials […]

We are living in historic times, and we are fortunate to be able to participate in the rebuilding of America’s infrastructure. The funding that has been made available and the projects that are being launched will be written about and studied for decades to come. All of the country’s infrastructure networks are getting attention and […]

Libraries are critical public assets for communities and a recent study confirmed that most are funded locally. Currently there are hundreds of modernization, expansion, and technology upgrade projects occurring in libraries throughout the country. This is a very defined and strong trend. In Deschutes County, Oregon, voter-approved bond funding will cover a new Central Library […]

American ports are currently receiving massive amounts of funding from the federal government for much-needed and long-overdue upgrades. The country’s port infrastructure is a critical component of America’s global competitiveness, and the funding will target critical needs that must be met immediately. As the ports are modernized and expanded, new collaborative projects will be launched […]

The two largest international sporting events, The World Cup and Olympic Games, will be hosted in a few U.S. cities in 2026 and 2028. Both events require massive work by host cities, and new development projects will be large and expensive. This effort is already launching hundreds of new contracting opportunities for private sector companies. Eleven […]

Electric vehicles (EV) should never again be considered ‘futuristic.’ They are the ‘here and now’ and investment funding for electric vehicles is now flowing abundantly from both public and private sector coffers. Billions of dollars are available for electrification projects. Transit agencies are on the leading edge as they move quickly to electric vehicles. The […]

Changes are occurring rapidly at the local levels of government and the changes will likely be noticed first by citizens and businesses because of fee increases. Citizen services are critical components of local government and while public officials work diligently to hold down costs for taxpayers, the cost of citizen services is escalating rapidly. Most […]

As America fights to preserve its economic leadership globally, universities are critical partners. A skilled and trained workforce is the required component of economic stability and because of that prosperity cannot be preserved without a strong education infrastructure. Colleges and universities are doing their part today by offering an educational curriculum that prepares men and […]

In spite of all the new federal funding and dozens of new grant programs, city and county officials are still scrambling to launch projects designed to generate revenue. There are many reasons for this. The primary reason is that the new federal funding has a short lifecycle, and there is no indication that this level […]

Hundreds of cities with minor league baseball teams already have launched stadium construction projects or have plans to launch them soon. This phenomenon is not happening because a hundred cities decided all at once to upgrade stadiums where minor league baseball teams perform. Instead, the new construction and renovation activity is the result of Major […]

There are multiple topics of high concern for Americans today but one that is receiving less media attention is related to the country’s water resources. Regions of high growth are vying for the same diminishing water supplies, and, at the same time, the country’s drought is sapping water in every pond, lake, river, and reservoir. […]