Northwest Arkansas Council stresses infrastructure needs
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Northwest Arkansas needs to find money to pay for necessary infrastructure to accommodate the region's growth, Northwest Arkansas Council president Nelson Peacock said Thursday.
Why it matters: The region only knows where about half of the estimated $6 billion needed for transportation through 2050 is coming from, Peacock said.
Driving the news: The Northwest Arkansas Council hosted its annual winter meeting Thursday and released its report on the region's economy and growth in the past year.
- NWA also needs about $2.4 billion in wastewater work, Peacock said.
- In a survey of council members, 83% identified infrastructure strain as a top growth concern.
What they're saying: Peacock stressed the need for cities to work together, noting stormwater "doesn't really care where the city boundary is."
- NWA should examine whether wastewater should be addressed under a regional or shared governance system that could help coordinate investments and share operating responsibilities and costs, he said.
- The council is helping coordinate an effort to create consistent standards for installing utilities across NWA cities, as developers running into inconsistent requirements can drive up costs.
The big picture: The council has a history of supporting projects intended to benefit the whole region, like Northwest Arkansas National Airport.
- Peacock emphasized that regional organizations like the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission can help and mentioned the regional mobility authority the council established in 2008 could be a tool to boost transportation.
The bottom line: Paying for infrastructure needs includes "working to expand our tax base, exploring regional funding tools and public-private partnerships, and for highway projects, we may even have to consider toll roads. … Did I say that out loud?" Peacock said.
- What we're watching: Arkansas doesn't have toll roads, but we'll see if they come up for serious consideration.