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State Senator James L. Seward is calling on the governor to stop wasting taxpayer money on road signs marking American Recovery and Reinvestment Act projects.
“A plan to post specially designed road signs identifying economic stimulus project work sites is a complete waste of taxpayer dollars,” said Seward, R,C,I - Oneonta. “I thought the idea behind the stimulus money was to get people back to work, not promote government. These signs are simply a shameless plug that wastes the public’s money. Try explaining to an out of work father or mother or a small businessman trying to afford health insurance for his employees how a big green sign is helping stimulate the economy.”
According to the state published engineering instructions, the largest signs will cost between $6,000 and $8,300 each to produce and install. In all, an estimated $1 million will be spent on nearly 500 signs. The state Department of Transportation says the signs are not mandatory, but “strongly suggested” by the federal government.
“Other states are producing signage at a fraction of the cost New York is estimating,” Seward said. “This is just another example of government waste and one of the reasons why we have a record spending state budget and skyrocketing taxes. I am calling on the governor to look for less expensive alternatives or to scrap the plan altogether.
“I am all for transparency, as a matter of fact, I have been calling for a better accounting of how stimulus dollars are being spent since the money came flooding in to New York. But throwing away money on promotional billboards is not the way to go about informing the public.”
State Senator James L. Seward is calling on the governor to stop wasting taxpayer money on road signs marking American Recovery and Reinvestment Act projects.
“A plan to post specially designed road signs identifying economic stimulus project work sites is a complete waste of taxpayer dollars,” said Seward, R,C,I - Oneonta. “I thought the idea behind the stimulus money was to get people back to work, not promote government. These signs are simply a shameless plug that wastes the public’s money. Try explaining to an out of work father or mother or a small businessman trying to afford health insurance for his employees how a big green sign is helping stimulate the economy.”
According to the state published engineering instructions, the largest signs will cost between $6,000 and $8,300 each to produce and install. In all, an estimated $1 million will be spent on nearly 500 signs. The state Department of Transportation says the signs are not mandatory, but “strongly suggested” by the federal government.
“Other states are producing signage at a fraction of the cost New York is estimating,” Seward said. “This is just another example of government waste and one of the reasons why we have a record spending state budget and skyrocketing taxes. I am calling on the governor to look for less expensive alternatives or to scrap the plan altogether.
“I am all for transparency, as a matter of fact, I have been calling for a better accounting of how stimulus dollars are being spent since the money came flooding in to New York. But throwing away money on promotional billboards is not the way to go about informing the public.”
