Pine Belt Times

Hattiesburg, Mississippi – Hattiesburg Mayor Toby Barker has been appointed to the National League of Cities (NLC) 2023 Transportation and Infrastructure Services (TIS) federal advocacy committee. This committee has the lead responsibility to developing NLC’s federal policy positions on issues involving transportation, including planning, funding, safety and security of public transit, streets and highways, aviation, railroads and ports. 

“I am honored to serve on NLC’s Transportation & Infrastructure Services Committee,” said Barker. “We stand at a pivotal moment when federal and state investment in roads, bridges and water/sewer systems has never been greater, and I believe my involvement in this advocacy role brings opportunities for our city to be at the table when infrastructure funding is made available.”

Barker’s Administration has led deliberately in the arena of infrastructure since being elected in 2017 and reelected in 2021. This has included paving more than 100 miles of roadway in six years while continuing to invest in water, sewer and roadway infrastructure projects. In 2020, the city received two of its largest federal transportation grants in city history – Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) and Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) –  to build two railway overpasses on Hall Avenue

In addition to this appointment, Barker has been called on by Mississippi’s congressional delegation to share Hattiesburg’s infrastructure story. In 2021, he was selected to testify to the Senate Commerce Committee to discuss the challenges of blocked rail crossings. He also testified before the Mississippi Senate Highways & Transportation Committee in 2023 on the city’s use of American Rescue Plan Act funds to update water, sewer and storm water infrastructure.

As a committee member, the mayor will play a part in shaping NLC’s policy positions and advocate on behalf of America’s cities and towns before Congress, with the administration and at home. 

For more information on NLC’s federal advocacy committees, visit www.nlc.org/advocacy/committees. The National League of Cities (NLC) is dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.

Original source can be found here.