By Thomas B. Langhorne, Evansville Courier & Press
Predicting Vanderburgh County will get more federal money this year than ever before, the County Commissioners today unveiled $5.1 million in 2010 federal earmark requests.
County officials hope to reap millions in federal dollars this year and next year in a combination of earmark money and funding for local projects that may be awarded from the $787 billion economic stimulus bill.
Also today, U.S. Rep. Brad Ellsworth, D-Ind., announced that the House has approved $760,000 in 2009 earmark money to help construct University Parkway between Marx Road and State Road 66.
Another $3 million for the same project headlines the county's 2010 earmark requests.
Earmarks, a controversial form of government spending that doesn't undergo the same budgetary review and authorization as other spending and isn't awarded competitively, differ from federal money for local projects that may be awarded from the stimulus bill.
While earmarks are meant to fund specific projects sought by members of Congress for their districts and states, stimulus money will be awarded by states or federal agencies based on such factors as how quickly a project can begin and whether the project fulfills the mission for which a given pool of stimulus funds is intended.