Members of the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) on Monday published a report that called for nearly $62 billion in public infrastructure improvements throughout the state.
This includes infrastructure for K-12 public school buildings, transportation and utilities, health, safety, and welfare, recreation and culture, general government, and economic development.
But this does not necessarily mean Tennesseans will have to pay higher taxes to subsidize these new infrastructure needs, said Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville).
“The TACIR study referenced was a comprehensive report based upon a five-year look into the future of Tennessee’s infrastructure needs, like roads, utilities, education, law enforcement, health facilities, and broadband,” Sexton told The Tennessee Star on Monday.
“We don’t need to raise taxes in Tennessee because we’ll continue to budget and prioritize our needs just like Tennessee families do with their household budgets.”
Adam Kleinheider, speaking for Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) said Governor Bill Lee’s budget invests in several key pieces of infrastructure.
“The legislature will be reviewing that budget proposal in the coming weeks to see if there are any more opportunities to fund some of the critical infrastructure needs of the state without raising taxes,” Kleinheider said.
Members of TACIR said in their report that Tennessee needs at least $61.9 billion worth of public infrastructure improvements. Current infrastructure needs, they said, fall into six general categories:
• Transportation and Utilities: $34.7 billion
• Education: $15.2 billion
• Health, Safety, and Welfare: $8.3 billion
• Recreation and Culture: $2.3 billion
• General Government: $1.2 billion
• Economic Development: $277 million
TACIR, according to its website, studies and acts on questions of functions, and relationships among the local, state, and federal governments.
Lee’s proposed fiscal year 2023 budget includes $626.5 million in road projects for the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
The proposal includes 22 new projects that are categorized under the State Highway Partnership Program ($226 million), Rural Interchange Improvement Program ($176 million), IMPROVE Act Acceleration ($100 million) and economic development projects ($77 million).
The economic development projects, in what are characterized as some of the state’s fastest-growing counties, include a Cleveland Street extension and Interstate-24 underpass in Davidson County ($40 million), a Sullivan County alignment project ($22 million) and widening State Road 334 in Blount County ($15 million).
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star and The Georgia Star News. Follow Chris on Facebook, Twitter, Parler, and GETTR. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Cameron Sexton” by Cameron Sexton.
