The towns of Lysander and Van Buren will receive increased Consolidated Local Street and High Improvement Program funding this year after several years of seeing a decline in state support for infrastructure. In fact, this is the first time in five years the state has increased funding to this program in an effort to promote job growth while rebuilding crumbling infrastructure.

The state budget includes $438.1 million, an increase of 21 percent, to provide direct aid to counties, cities, towns and villages across the state. These funds go directly to local government to help support repairs to the highways, bridges and roads they operate and maintain.

Lysander will receive $128,851.13 in CHIPs funding, an increase of $25,523.80, or 24.7 percent, over last year. Van Buren will receive $89,866 in CHIPs funding, an increase of $19,677, or 28.03 percent, over last year.