In what could be a new high water mark of anti-Washington sentiment, the city of Troy, Mich., is rejecting a long-planned transportation center whose construction would have been fully financed with federal stimulus money.<\/p>\n
The terminal, which would help Troy become a transportation node on an upgraded Detroit-to-Chicago Amtrak line, was hailed by supporters as a way to create jobs and to spur economic development. But federal money is federal money, so with the urging of the new mayor, who helped found the local Tea Party chapter, the City Council cast a 4-to-3 vote this week against granting a crucial contract, sending the project into limbo.<\/p>\n
The Troy transit center\u2019s construction required no local contribution, and its predicted annual maintenance cost of $31,000 was, in the context of the city\u2019s $50 million budget, \u201cde minimis,\u201d said Mark Miller, the assistant city manager.The federal government\u2019s largess is no reason to build the transit center when the national debt stands at $15 trillion, Mayor Daniels said.<\/p>\n
Yet if the money does not go to Troy, it will not be used to pay down the national debt; it will be redirected to other projects around the country.<\/p>\n