Lansing Regional Chamber Urges Federal Stimulus Dollars Be Used for Long-Term Job Creation
New Permanent Job Creation and Business Investment Should Be Priorities.
The Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce (LRCC) is urging government officials to prioritize the distribution of federal stimulus dollars in the Lansing region to emphasize projects that have the greatest potential to produce permanent jobs and long-term business investment in the region."As the region's top business and economic development advocate, we believe the need to see new job creation and business investment is critical for any long-term economic benefit from the recovery plan," said LRCC president and CEO Tim Daman.
LRCC also said its vision is to support projects that offer direct and timely economic development benefits in:
1) Transportation;
2) Infrastructure;
3) Education;
4) Green energy technologies;
5) Health Care Information Technology; and
6) Revitalizing the region's urban core.
Chamber leaders said they are urging officials to be very cautious on the use of federal stimulus dollars to cover shortfalls or boost reserve funds of state government budgets.
"If we use the stimulus dollars to just plug holes in the state budget, it won't solve any of our long term problems," said LRCC Board Chair John Truscott. "It just delays the inevitable and probably puts the state in a worse position than we're in right now. Instead, we would like to see Michigan become a leader in the appropriate use of these dollars, which means dedicating them to projects that will create long term economic benefits and therefore improve the viability of the region and the state."
Noting that there seems to be a lot of confusion as to how and when stimulus dollars will be awarded, LRCC called on the state to clarify its process and timetable for implementation of the stimulus program.
