Leaders from more than 1,300 cities in Texas and across the country are meeting in Washington DC this week to discuss economic recovery from the pandemic and federal grants available from the American Rescue Plan and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The National League of Cities Congressional City Conference ended Wednesday.
Among speakers were President Joe Biden, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Susan Rice, director of United States Domestic Policy Council.
"Dallas seems to be ahead of the curve when it comes to the use of ARPA funds and intent to use the federal infrastructure bill," said Dallas City Councilman Adam Bazaldua, who is also a board member on the Regional Transportation Council.
"A lot of the programs and collaboration with other cities this week have shown we are already in the same direction or ahead of the curve in whatever topic we're discussing, whether it be housing, homelessness, infrastructure or access to broadband."
Bazaldua, who has been attending the conference with Councilman Adam McGough, says the pandemic has highlighted inequity in access to broadband.
"There were a lot of shifts in mindset and there were a lot of very eye-opening instances the pandemic brought out I believe were existing but the pandemic made much clearer," Bazaldua said.
Bazaldua says that shift has looked at considering access to broadband as a piece of infrastructure for people to attend meetings or job interviews, kids to keep up with school work, and people to use telemedicine.
"Broadband is no longer a luxury," Bazaldua said. "It's not an amenity; it should not be looked at as such. It should be looked at as vital infrastructure that is needed for us to operate as a whole, as a society."
When the president spoke at the conference, he said March 11 marked the anniversary of him signing the American Rescue Plan.
"The most significant investment in local government in all of history was in that plan," Biden said. "Frankly, you couldn't have gotten it done without your support and so many local officials around the country."
Biden said his political career started with his election to the county council in Delaware and said local elected officials make decisions that affect people every day.
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"You're there; you can't walk into a grocery store or gas station, you can't go into a supermarket without someone having a question for you because you're the people they know, you're the people they depend on. You're out there every day on the front lines of public service," Biden said.
"To hear the president speak about starting in government as a council member himself and understand the need for local control and collaboration with higher forms of government was really powerful," Bazaldua said. "It was very inspiring; it was very uplifting. It was very direct to local leaders."
Buttigieg said grants from the infrastructure measure will affect all parts of the country.
"We’re trying to make federal grants more user-friendly because it is the communities that would benefit most," Buttigieg said. "It’s about creating opportunity. A good transportation project is one that sees that and connects the dots. We’re helping people manage the minutes of where they are and where they need to go.”
Buttigieg visited Dallas last year, touring Dallas Area Rapid Transit's light rail network with Congressman Colin Allred. Bazaldua says Buttigieg has shifted a focus toward using mass transit to help cities grow.
"It's not just about putting miles of highway together," Bazaldua said. "This is about looking at where mass transit can be most effective, where multi-modal infrastructure can be most effective to create walkable communities."
Bazaldua says growth around DART's Mockingbird station and plans for a rebuilt convention center have shown how Dallas can succeed with mixed-use development.
"That mixed-use model will allow for this to be an investment for residents of Dallas and a new neighborhood of the central business district that will coexist with the tourism we'll bring in with this convention center," Bazaldua said.
Bazaldua says grants have been more easily accessible for local governments, allowing cities like Dallas to focus on needs that may differ from Addison, Glenn Heights, or Carrollton.
Bazaldua says the infrastructure grants can help the nation rebuild a system that had been the best in the world. The World Economic Forum now ranks American infrastructure as 13th, behind the United Arab Emirates and ahead of Belgium.
"I love the fact there's been an emphasis on no middle men," Bazaldua said. "I think it's going to be a game changer for our city, of course, but also for our state and country as a whole to get back to that number one spot where we were for so long."
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