Contractors' Association announces
opposition to CI-97

Contact: Cary Hegreberg
442-4162

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Montana Contractors' Association today announced its opposition to CI-97, and its intention to formally join the "Not in Montana" Coalition organized to convince voters the measure should be rejected at the ballot box.

"We believe legislators, elected by the voters of Montana, should have the authority and the responsibility to establish state spending levels and not be hamstrung by a complex constitutional formula with unknown long-term implications," according to Cary Hegreberg, executive director of the trade association that represents many of Montana's largest commercial construction firms.

"The ability of the state to maintain and improve our infrastructure could be severely impaired if this measure passes," he said.

The current state budget surplus is "a golden opportunity" for legislators to appropriate one-time revenues for one-time construction projects that do not create a permanent financial liability to taxpayers, Hegreberg said.

"CI-97 would hogtie the Legislators and prevent them from funding necessary projects." Contractors are also concerned about the ability of the State to spend large earmarked federal appropriations for projects like rural water/irrigation systems, highways, and university research facilities, he noted.

"Our colleagues in Colorado were among the hardest hit when a similar measure passed in that state," Hegreberg said. "They have warned us to not let this pass in Montana, because it will lead to an overall downturn in the construction economy."

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