Council approves $96,000 lobbyist contract

Maricopa City Council approved a $96,000 contract with Nexxus Consulting LLC, a federal lobbyist firm, to pursue federal transportation funding for a grade separation on State Route 347 at the Union Pacific Railroad line.

The contract was passed at Tuesday’s regular meeting after a request by Councilmember Alan Marchione that  Nexxus provide a quarterly “expectation of services” report to the city.

Marchione said he had been on the council for a year and never seen a report from the lobbyist group.

The city approved its first contract with Bob Holmes of Landry Creedon & Associates Inc., now Nexxus, in March 2009. The lobbyist's efforts led to U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-District 7) earmarking $1 million for the current fiscal year in the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Appropriations bill.

The funds dedicated for Maricopa were passed by the U.S. House of Representatives but died when the U.S. Senate failed to approve any appropriations bills in December 2010.

 

The intersection of State Route 347 and the Union Pacific Railroad is one of the most critical transportation issues facing the city because the junction handles nearly 34,000 vehicle crossings, 170 school bus crossings and more than 50 train crossings daily, Intergovernmental Manager Paul Jepson told council in May 2010.

 

By the end of the year when the double-track is finished, the daily train crossings are estimated to be around 100. A grade separation would separate the rail from the roadway, routing traffic either over or under the tracks.