Greenwood federal lobbyist to cost $60,000

By Joseph S. Pete, Daily Journal of Johnson County staff writer

A lobbyist will make the case to the Greenwood City Council about making Greenwood's case to the U.S. Congress.

Greenwood moved closer to hiring a lobbyist to secure federal money to pay for city projects, including a third Interstate 65 interchange and an expansion of Worthsville Road.

Hiring a lobbyist would cost the city $60,000 annually, Mayor Charles Henderson said.

Henderson and council member Linda Gibson met with Indianapolis-based law firm Bose, McKinney and Evans, which employs full-time lobbyists in Washington, D.C. The firm will make a presentation to the council at its next meeting.

Law firms representatives were very confident they could get Greenwood some funding, Henderson said.

"They were very positive we couldn't get any without somebody lobbying on our behalf," he said. "To get federal funding, to get it earmarked for certain projects, it is a process that takes professionals to get that done."

Without a lobbyist, however, Greenwood has in the past been able to secure federal funding to pay for 80 percent of major road projects, such as the expansion of Emerson Avenue and the ongoing work on Graham Road.