WHEREAS, The U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Urban Water Council recognizes that the estimated costs for capital improvements for water and wastewater infrastructure are projected to exceed $1 trillion over the next 20 years in order to comply with the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act; and,

WHEREAS, The Urban Water Council has examined the need for water and wastewater infrastructure investment and independent estimates indicate that local government currently provides 90% of the investment in water and wastewater infrastructure annually; and,

WHEREAS, The Urban Water Council recognizes the need for alternative as well as traditional project and service delivery methods that should be made available to local governments to assist in meeting high priority water and wastewater infrastructure needs; and,

WHEREAS, The Urban Water Council recognizes that alternative project and service delivery methods including: public private partnerships; construction management at risk; design/build; and, design/build/operate have been successfully implemented in the United States with local governments securing significant cost savings and improved services; and,

WHEREAS, The Urban Water Council recognizes that the benefits that can be realized include: accelerated delivery of needed (both new and replacement) infrastructure; lower capital and O&M costs; cost and performance guarantees; enhanced risk management and lower life cycle costs and innovative financing options that can minimize investment burdens to cash strapped local governments; and

WHEREAS, the Urban Water Council recognizes that some states have legislative barriers to the use of alternative project delivery and public private partnership approaches by local government for water and wastewater infrastructure projects and service delivery.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that The U.S. Conference of Mayors recommends that local government strongly consider the use of alternative project and service delivery methods for development of much needed water and wastewater infrastructure; and;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The U.S. Conference of Mayors encourages Members of State Legislatures to initiate and support legislation, that would remove barriers and obstacles to the use of such alternative project and service delivery methods and enact laws that would be conducive to and facilitative of alternative project and service delivery methods for water and wastewater infrastructure.