By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
St. Joseph and northwest Missouri could reap benefits from the state budget, if projects placed in the budget by the House remain.
State Representative Brenda Shields of St. Joseph, a member of the House Budget Committee, points out the House version of the $51 billion state budget contains $7.5 million for Rosecrans Memorial Airport, money to pay for the design of a new hangar that could accommodate upgraded C-130 cargo planes.
“Hopefully, we’ll get into the design process and when the opportunity for the J model comes back around, we’ll score high enough that we’ll be able to secure the C-130Js at Rosecrans with the 7 ½ million that we’re able to contribute to the design,” Shields tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.
This latest move to finance further improvements at Rosecrans Memorial Airport is part of a concerted effort to lure the upgraded C-130 cargo planes vital to the long-term future of the Air National Guard’s 139th Airlift Wing in St. Joseph. The Pentagon passed over the 139th in awarding the C-130J model planes to other Air National Guard bases. A federal scoring system disclosed some deficiencies at Rosecrans that city, state, and even federal officials are attempting to address with the belief that if those deficiencies are addressed, the 139th will be awarded the new planes.
Transportation is a big feature of the state budget approved by the Missouri House. Money is also in the budget to upgrade rural roadways.
“I think it’s important that we continue to invest in infrastructure and I’m happy that we’re able to invest another 100 million in our rural roads,” Sheilds says. “We’ve known that we’ve neglected those over the years.”
Shields says those blacktop, two-lane roads are more important than they might look.
“We know that it is important that we can get product to market,” Shields says, pointing out farmers need good rural roads. “And they’re crumbling and it was important that we continue to improve those rural roads.”
The House also set aside $53 million to improve the intersection of I-29 and I-35 in Kansas City.
Also included in the House version is money to study whether US Highway 36 should become Interstate 72.
“Because we want to really look at the study to determine if 36 can become I-72 and it all starts with a study and that’s what we have money in the budget for,” Shields says, adding the appropriation has been reworked to satisfy objections raised by Gov. Mike Parson, who vetoed a similar spending measure last year.
The budget now is under review in the Senate. Shields notes the Senate in the past has made significant changes to the House version of the budget, which requires both chambers to agree to a compromise spending plan.
You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.