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From the River City News: Reliable transportation is key to any successful economy. Business leaders are keenly aware of this fact. If you’re waiting on a critical shipment, want your employees to arrive on time, or if you’re running to catch a flight at CVG, you need reliable transportation. You’ll hear business groups talk about large companies impacted by transportation issues: places like Amazon, DHL, Kroger, etc.  But from my perspective, it’s the small businesses that are impacted most when transportation is not reliable. After all, of the 7,400 businesses in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties, 93 percent are 49 employees or less. Consider a small Florence based HVAC repair business with eight employees. If two of their employees are … Read More

2019 Report Card GPA: C- Kentucky’s infrastructure is everywhere around you and you use it every day. The interconnected system of roads and bridges, drinking water, sewer systems, dams and levees, aviation, solid waste, and energy are all critical to our success. We have become accustomed to these systems quietly supporting our ability to work and play. However, in 2019, our infrastructure networks are aging and struggling to perform as necessary. Infrastructure deteriorates as it ages, and it must be repaired or replaced when it exceeds its useful life. The effects of time, weather, and increased use from a growing population are impacting the quality of the infrastructure in our state. Looking ahead, there are opportunities for Kentucky to invest not only in the infrastructure in need … Read More

From ARTBA, American Road & Transportation Builders Association  (WASHINGTON)—While a new national poll shows “almost 90 percent believe “the Democratic leadership and President Trump should work together during 2019 to pass legislation that would improve other infrastructure.” The poll was conducted January 23-24 by Rasmussen Reports for the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) and American Public Transportation Association (APTA).  Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, Inc.  The margin of sampling error for the poll is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence. Support for work this year on a broader, bipartisan infrastructure bill was expressed by 88 percent of both Republican and Democrat likely voters and 84 … Read More

It is probably safe to say that no taxpayer is looking for more taxes to pay. It’s also safe to say that state roads, highways and bridges are not in as good shape as any of us would like. Lower gas prices and more fuel efficient vehicles have hurt the state road fund which gets a percentage of every gallon of gas sold. In a story on WDRB.com, Marcus Green and Sara Sidery, tell us the Kentucky State Legislature is now looking to increase the tax on gas by 10 cents a gallon. Just like you, I don’t like paying more taxes, but I also recognize that the road fairy isn’t coming to the rescue. We can either pay a … Read More

By Pam Thomas January 14, 2019 Over the past few years, there has been much discussion about the need for additional resources to support Kentucky’s crumbling transportation infrastructure. The funding hole that currently exists becomes even deeper at the end of fiscal year 2020 when the Transportation Cabinet estimates that all of Kentucky’s available federal toll credits – a resource the state has used to match and bring in federal transportation grant money – will be gone. A bill filed in the 2018 General Assembly provides a way forward. Current Resources Available to Support Kentucky’s Transportation Infrastructure Are Woefully Inadequate State funding for roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure comes primarily from the Road Fund, which has suffered from declining … Read More

From the River City News: As leaders of Kentucky’s three largest commercial service airports, we understand that infrastructure investment is critical to our state’s continued economic success. Our airports are critical infrastructure assets to Kentucky, supporting more than 100,000 jobs and creating a $13 billion impact for the Commonwealth and the Louisville, Lexington, and Northern Kentucky regions. Growth will only continue if we appreciate the need to invest in airports, as well as provide funding for infrastructure that is in and around airports, such as highways, roads, and bridges. Infrastructure, and the ability it provides to connect locally and internationally, is a key driver for businesses that are considering to expand in or relocate to our state. Businesses make location … Read More

A January 2018 report from the American Trucking Association showed more than 70 percent of goods consumed in the U.S. are moved by truck. That’s a problem because there is a tremendous shortage of truck drivers in the U.S. – about 300,000, according to Bloomberg. Kentucky is feeling the pinch as well, and with more than 13,000 trucking companies in the Commonwealth, that means jobs are plentiful. Best of all, driving a commercial vehicle pays well. The Kentucky Trucking Association reports in 2016, total trucking industry wages paid in Kentucky exceeded $5 billion with an average annual trucking industry salary of $44,843. “Eighty-nine point two percent of Kentucky communities solely rely on trucking to deliver their goods,” Kentucky Trucking Association … Read More

By Hannah Carver NKyTribune reporter The special legislative session called by Governor Matt Bevin to address the state’s pension issue was on the minds of many Kentuckians recently — including Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Brent Cooper’s. “Right now, we’re concerned about the pension situation and the credit rating for the state. That has real-world implications and costs. That has to be figured out. It has to be addressed,” Cooper said last Tuesday, before the session was over. “Whatever happens in the special session will have implications for the General Assembly in January.” Of course, Cooper is already thinking beyond the failed special session, advocating for what he hopes to see pass in the 2019 General Assembly, … Read More