Transportation funding kaput
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Toddy Puller
Published: March 5, 2008
The high court ruled unanimously that the Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads Transportation Authorities will not be able to proceed with raising taxes and fees in these areas to fund regional transportation needs. Other solutions will have to be found to fund transportation. This jeopardizes many crucial projects in our area.
I must say that I am not surprised. This solution was voted for because many of us believed this was the only way we had any hope of getting any transportation funding to ease gridlock in these areas at all.
I hope this unanimous Supreme Court decision will put enough pressure on General Assembly members to work to find a sufficient, sustainable, statewide revenue source to address Virginia’s transportation needs for the long term.
Transportation is a statewide problem, not just a problem in the Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads areas. The reason we are at this point is that too many members of the General Assembly refused to make the hard choice to invest in fixing our transportation crisis for the long term. Some couldn’t bring themselves to vote for any new taxes even if this was in the best economic interests for the future of our commonwealth and for all Virginians.
Last year’s transportation bill abrogated the state’s responsibility for transportation and shifted the burden to the localities to allow them to increase taxes and fees to pay for regional transportation.
One of the fixes suggested by some General Assembly members after the recently announced Supreme Court decision is to give the authority to the elected county, city and town governments to allow them to impose taxes and fees for transportation.
That opens up problems with funding and agreeing on transportation needs that cross government boundaries in a region, and it once again places responsibility for transportation funding on local governments rather than the state.
I think we should look at more reliable ways to fund transportation and that everyone using our roads should help pay for them, not just Virginia taxpayers. That is why I have supported raising the gas tax.
If taxes must be raised, the gas tax is the fairest, simplest, and least costly to administer. People who don’t live in Virginia but use our roads would help to pay for them. All of the states surrounding Virginia have higher gas taxes than we do and Virginia’s gas tax has not been raised since 1986 — 22 years.
It is highly unlikely that the transportation issue can be resolved by March 8, the day the General Assembly’s regular session adjourns.
It is far more likely that the governor will have to call a Special Session to address transportation funding.
For the good of all Virginians, I hope enough members of the General Assembly will carefully examine our transportation crisis and take responsibility to fund it with a sufficient, sustainable, statewide revenue source.
As elected representatives of the people, we should choose principle over political expediency and be strong enough to raise taxes for transportation rather than looking to funding gimmicks to avoid the appearance of raising taxes.
Please continue to let me hear from you and share your concerns. You may reach me by e-mail at: , by phone: 1-804-698-7538. The constituent hotline is: 1-800-889-0229. My mailing address is: Senator Toddy Puller, Senate of Virginia, P.O. Box 396, Richmond, VA 23218.
Toddy Puller is a Democratic state senator representing District 36.
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