Abstract:
This paper outlines innovative financing techniques undertaken by the Ada County Highway District (ACHD) at the local level to help leverage limited local and federal resources. With the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) and subsequent reauthorization bills, the Federal government began promoting more innovative methods of financing projects. ACHD has applied this approach to its stream of local funding through partnerships with public and private entities in the Boise, Idaho region. Projects financed through these methods have ranged in cost from $30,000 to $20 million. To help fund these projects, ACHD has worked with the federal government, area local governments, redevelopment agencies, the state DOT, other state agencies, private entities, and universities and neighborhood associations to help foster unique funding partnerships that stretch the resources of ACHD and the region. ACHD is unique in its organization as an agency with full jurisdiction over all city and county roadways within Ada County, Idaho. With this role, ACHD is tasked with meeting and planning for the transportation funding of one medium-sized community (Boise, pop. 211,000), five small communities (Meridian, pop. 66,000; Garden City, pop. 12,000; Eagle, pop. 20,000; Kuna, pop. 13,000; and Star, pop. 5,000) and the unincorporated areas of Ada County (pop. 56,000). This unique responsibility requires close coordination with the six city governments, the county government, the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), three city redevelopment agencies, the state transportation department and the regional public transportation authority. This role has allowed ACHD to foster the partnerships that led to many of the innovative financing arrangements. The paper provides case studies for large and small scale projects. It also focuses on methods that helped achieve local funding partnerships, the complex financial arrangements that followed, and the lessons learned.
