MARGI REVIEWS UP-COMING TRANSPORTATION DECISIONS

A number of upcoming decisions in transportation policy may affect us here in northern Virginia. At the state level, Governor Kaine has called a special session of the General Assembly for June 23^rd to deal with transportation funding shortfalls, some of which resulted from a February 29th Virginia Supreme Court decision that invalidated the 2007 law that raised revenue dedicated to transportation in our region. He has also released his own funding proposals which include a 1% statewide increase in the sales tax on cars (from 3% to 4%) that would raise an additional $400-$500 million annually; the dedication of all revenue from the sales tax on cars to road maintenance; a $10 statewide increase in the annual car registration fee; a 25 cent statewide increase in the grantor’s tax with a substantial portion of it dedicated to transit; and a 1% regional retail sales tax increase (excluding food and medicine) in northern Virginia and Hampton Roads that would replace the dedicated regional funding struck down by the Supreme Court. All the Governor’s proposals will include a lockbox mechanism so that they will be used only for transportation.

On May 7^th the Hampton Roads (Norfolk area) and northern Virginia legislative delegations met to discuss and establish principles to guide our deliberations for the upcoming special session. The delegations agree that there must dedicated and sufficient revenue sources specific to each region.  (Since the Supreme Court’s action that invalidated the funding power of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, our region has lost about $1 million a day!)  We also agreed on the need for statewide funding for maintenance.

The main points of contention in the upcoming Special Session of the General Assembly are sure to be the sources of revenue and whether the solutions should address statewide shortfalls or just correct legal problems at the regional level so that northern Virginia and Hampton Roads jurisdictions can raise the revenue for their areas. The May 7^th meeting of the joint delegation adopted the principle of including both regional and statewide solutions because we will continue to see our road construction funds siphoned off to pay for maintenance in other parts of the state unless we address the whole problem. Think of trying to fill a bathtub while the drain is open!

As for the sources of revenue, arguments have been made for a sales tax, gas tax, and/or a variety of fees. The Governor included in his plan a combination of these sources that have been previously proposed by the legislature. Here in northern Virginia a 1% sales tax (excluding food and medicine) would raise over $306 million in 2009, increasing to over $414 million by 2014. Every penny of the gas tax raises about $52 million with $11 million coming from northern Virginia. Both the gas tax and the sales tax, unlike fees, are paid for by all drivers, not just Virginia residents alone. Before we return to Richmond on June 23^rd, I would appreciate hearing your views on transportation funding sources.

At the regional level, the positive news about the Dulles Rail Project recently made headlines.  In January the Federal Transit Authority had said that $900 million in federal funding for the first stage of the project was in jeopardy.  Governor Kaine and the Virginia Congressional delegation worked diligently with federal officials to address their concerns, and the funding was approved in May. (A $400 million private sector tax district is already in place to support and supplement that funding.)  While the federal funding is now restored, two conditions remain, and they present substantial though not impossible hurdles to overcome: cost containment, and METRO organization and management.

As a long time advocate for rail to Dulles and a champion of the tunnel option through Tyson’s Corner, I am pleased that our funding has been restored; I am extremely disappointed that the option of a tunnel seems more remote at this point, but rail to Dulles is a key component of our regional transportation plan and an important economic generator for our area and the state. I believe we can and should have a significant impact on the project by focusing on preventing cost overruns through project management and competitive bidding for subcontractors. I intend to be a vigilant “watchdog” on behalf of our citizens in the 34^th district to make sure we do not bear the costs for private sector excesses or mismanagement.

Finally, at the local level, I am working with VDOT and Fluor-Transurban to make sure that the property at Balls Hill Road and Georgetown Pike is reforested using both immediate and long-term planning. The unnecessary clear cutting at that location for Beltway HOT lanes construction equipment and office trailers was done without careful thought or proper prior communication. Senator Janet Howell, Supervisor John Foust, and I met with VDOT and the contractors to express our outrage that over three acres so close to the Potomac River on a scenic byway with adjacent schools in a residential area were simply leveled without thought to preservation, buffers, or especially whether the site was needed at all!

We are working together to have the staging area moved to the existing site on Rt. 123. Short of that, we have demanded both immediate and long term plans for reforestation with indigenous plants compatible with our area of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. At the May 21^st public hearings on the design of the HOT Lanes Project, I called on VDOT to develop a plan for regular and prior communication on project developments with the community. We should not have to be surprised, as I was, to drive by a “wooded” corner near my home and find it looking like a moonscape.

As always, I welcome your comments and ideas about how we can make our community better, and transportation is at the top of the list of concerns we share. I will continue to keep you up to date on issues close to home. I hope you will be in touch with me before we return to Richmond for our special session on June 23^rd. It is an honor and privilege to represent you in the legislature.