WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - April 06, 2016) - On behalf of The U.S. Conference of Mayors, Lima (OH) Mayor David Berger will testify before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing on, "The Federal Role in Keeping Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Affordable."
Mayor Berger will stress that local governments are responsible for 98% of all expenditures on water and wastewater in the United States with very little help from the federal government. As such, mayors believe that Congress and the Administration should not impose federal mandates on local governments without federal funding to cover the cost of those mandates. Moreover, mayors are concerned that these combined factors place undue economic burden on city residents, many of whom are already financially strapped and unable to afford water-bill hikes.
Mayor Berger will also highlight the mayors' urban agenda -- The 2016 Mayors' Compact for a Better America: A Call to Action -- that calls on the Presidential candidates and Congress to INVEST in and PROTECT America's cities and metro areas. Developing healthy, safe, affordable and modern water and wastewater systems is one of the key items on the Mayors' agenda.
Mayor Berger will be available for interview immediately following the hearing.
| WHAT: | Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Hearing: "The Federal Role in Keeping Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Affordable" |
| WHEN: | Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. ET |
| WHERE: | Room 406 | Dirksen Senate Office Building | Washington, D.C. 20015 |
The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are nearly 1400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/usmayors, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors.