RICHMOND — Virginia’s crumbling roads will force lawmakers into “uncharted territory” this spring, as they divvy up taxpayer dollars to develop a budget, a political science professor predicted Wednesday.
Michael McDonald, of George Mason University in Fairfax, said the budget fight could envelop the evenly divided state Senate in partisan gridlock.
Democrats support raising the gas tax as one way to avoid diverting sales tax funds.
Tom Kazemi, station manager at Jermantown Shell in Fairfax, said he worries that raising the state’s 17.5-cent-per-gallon gas tax on July 1, 2012 — a solution the Senate advanced to solve transportation and human services funding problems — would hurt gas stations statewide.
“It’s funny that they want to raise the price of gas right before summer driving season,” Kazemi said. He predicted car owners would cut down on their driving to cope with higher prices.
Senate Bill 639, sponsored by state Sen. Frank Wagner, R–Virginia Beach, would index the gas tax annually to the U.S. Department of Labor’s producer price index for nonresidential construction.
It cleared the Senate on Tuesday, 26-14, but a similar proposal — House Bill 899, sponsored by Delegate David Albo, D-Fairfax — was rejected in committee.
“There are some on our side of the aisle who say, ‘Why are you going to force Virginians, solely Virginians, to fund a transportation system and let out-of-state people use it for free?’” said Delegate Jenn McClellan, D-Richmond, who supports raising the gas tax.
Democrats and Republicans acknowledge that repairing the state’s shoddy roads must be part of the final budget, but they disagree on how to do it.
The 2011 legislative elections transformed the Senate into a split body of 20 Democrats and 20 Republicans, but the GOP has controlled divisive issues — such as abortion and gun rights — thanks to the tie-breaking vote of Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling.
Bolling can’t cast a vote on the state’s spending plan, so Republicans will need to win a vote from the other side of the aisle — or compromise with the Democrats — to craft a budget.
McDonald said a stalemate is possible, if the chambers can’t reach a compromise. Passing a budget requires 51 votes in the 100-member House, and 21 votes in the 40-member Senate.
Doubt over the fate of the budget, and whether the bill will be sent to Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell by the March 10 date of adjournment, “speaks to the fact that we are in a more polarized environment than we ever were in the past,” McDonald said.
Last year, lawmakers crafted the largest transportation investment in state history into the budget — $4 billion via bonds and grants lent to localities.
McDonnell’s office announced Wednesday, after the monthly meeting of the Commonwealth Transportation Board, that all construction projects funded by the investment are on time and on budget.
This year, McDonnell asked for a statewide Virginia Toll Authority with the power to impose tolls on bridges, tunnels and highways plus a 0.25 percent increase in the share of state sales taxes dedicated to transportation, which would be implemented over the next eight years.
McDonnell’s package, House Bill 1248, sponsored by Delegate Scott Lingamfelter, R-Prince William, passed the House, 63-35, on Tuesday.
But a Senate Finance Committee shed the sales tax proposal and the Virginia Toll Authority from McDonnell’s transportation package, replacing it with provisions to index the gas tax to inflation.
“Tolls are taxes on the poor,” state Sen. Yvonne Miller, D-Norfolk, said Wednesday, explaining that many of her Hampton Roads‘ constituents travel across toll bridges on a daily basis. “Tolls are taxes on people who want to get from one place to another.”
Virginia has several toll facilities — in Northern Virginia, central Virginia and Hampton Roads.
E-Z Pass, an automated toll collection system that allows motorists to pay without stopping at toll booths, is available on many of the roads.
Dulles Toll Road, Route 267 in Fairfax County, is a 14-mile toll road that stretches from the Capital Beltway west to Dulles International Airport. Tolls range from $2.25 to 75 cents.
The Downtown Expressway and Powhite Parkway form a 16-mile highway network that extends from Interstates 95 and 195 in Richmond to central Chesterfield County. Tolls range from 15 cents to $1.50, depending on vehicle size and toll-collection location.
The Richmond Metropolitan Authority operates the tolls.
Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, Route 13, is a 23-mile bridge and tunnel structure that stretches across the bay to connect Virginia’s Eastern Shore to Virginia Beach. Tolls vary depending on vehicle size from $12 for passenger vehicles up to $42 for six-axle tractor-trailer trucks.
It is operated by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel District.
See video of Miller: http://youtu.be/vAQcUgg4Fjg
Audio: http://cdn.statehousemedia.com/virginia/Audio/roads .mp3
Stats can be manipulated to try to prove anything; just that. I also know independent voters make up some of the percentages, never said they didn’t. All I was challenging was the “all red” in your statement. Lastly, B. Favola also represents voters in Loudoun. Friends?
So Sunshine you then beleive only 14% of the county is democrat and 17% republican because that is who bothered to vote last election and none could be (I) that went one way or the other and none of the people that didn’t bother count? No statistics math that I know of would agree.
Of the vote is the correct term. When only 31 % of the voting public even bothers to show up in Loudoun - 14 % vote for one candidate, 17 % vote for the other. The populace is not “all” red, thank goodness! I just wonder where the other 69 % is and was; they’re the reason that a group of state legislators got in who are focused on social issues and not what they said they’d do.
Waya if the uneducated are easier to control then what is up with the inner cities?
The GOP is pushing real hard against education (especially higher education), even Santorum says satan has taken over Academia. Why? Because the uneducated are easier to control.
Sunshine - The district supervisors are all GOP 100%. Most of your voters might be (I) but they voted in straight Republican representation locally and we only have one (D) in congress (Mark Herring).
In 2008 Obama got 53.66% of the vote and McCain got 45.41%. McDonald got 61% of the vote.
Not sure where you are getting 17% red.
Loudoun is 17% red according to election results. Those who voted for issues other than what are being proposed in this legislative cycle are waking up, particularly women. To those who voted against what they knew would be forced cultural issues, thanks. To the rest of the apathetic non-voting populace, where were you? I’m glad national media is covering this “backward” fanaticism and intrusion by VA Big Government.
Fed Up Already!
Educated (I) - Oh please that generalization is such nonsense and does nothing to move things forward. Loudoun is one of the most educated and wealthy parts of this state much less this nation and it is all red; that alone shows that idea is bunk. Not to mention you look at all Democrat areas like DC where the poorest most ill educated people vote 99% democrat.
Forget the name calling and pot shots it does nothing to address the issues.
A question of fairness - I agree sales tax is the most fair; however something you may not know the last several times NoVA demanded more money for roads Richmond tells us to raise local sales taxes in NoVA for it. They don’t think we should get more money from the budget even though we only get a 40 cent on the dollar return of tax revenue here. The poorer southern part of the state takes the rest of our tax money and acts put out if we suggest a state wide tax to fix roads in NoVA even when we do not get our fair share of the tax revenue. Hypocrites to the max; we are subsidizing them.
Well FedUpDude, less educated people tend to vote GOP, so it is always in the GOP’s best interest to cut public education funding. Less degrees = red state. People with a background in science tend to not be religious. More bad news for the Christian Taliban running the GOP.
The gas tax is the fairest method of generating revenue for roads there is. However, it will never pass because those in rural areas of the state are very, very sensitive to any increase in the price of gas.
Tolls would be fair, as long as they install toll booths on all roads, but that will never happen. Plus there is too much overhead wasted in collecting tolls. Even E-Z Pass charges a fee for every toll collected.
That leaves the sales tax as the only viable option. If Democrats feel it takes money away from their priorities, then they can proposed to raise it!
Why would you cut back on schools? This state has some of the lowest taxes around, I think a minor increase in gas or sales taxes is justified when our roads need work. Do two things: 1) Make a set time frame this law is in effect 2) Prevent the state from putting the money into general funds make it roads only.
Yo teabag boy go to the bathroom today and help ease your mind. On this issue Cuccinelli is correct it’s a land grab. Notice all the big business naysayers when it comes to the eminent domain amendement. Vote for the amendment then your property can only be taken for the public good, not taken and sold to a developer to increase the tax base. Who decides the public good could be a tricky wiket? I think it should go a step farther and eminent domain should only be used in cases of public safety.
That idiot Free Lunch wants to cut back on schools so that everyone in Virginia will be as stupid and him and his family.
Dulles Rail does not belong in a conversation about transportation. As Cuccinelli said, “It is a real estate deal.” If Virginia dumps
$150 or $500 million into this black hole of subsidies it will be a complete waste of money at a time when money is tight.
Elected leaders of Virginia, this is not time for a payoff to rich developers regardless of how much they poured into your campaigns.
Read this: The Dulles Rail Financial Disaster Continues by Ron Utt of the Heritage Foundation
http://www.baconsrebellion.com/2011/09/the-dulles-rail-financial-disaster-continues.html
www.LoudounOptOut.com
Thad - McDonnell has only issued more debt for Virginians to pay back while failing to address anything close to what Northern VA needs.
Roads cost money. I’m not sure where you think that is supposed to come from. Of course, if you are over 50, you are just echoing the failed policies of the last 32 years that you have supported. Debt, debt, debt, debt and we still have inadequate infrastructure and the infrastructure we do have is crumbling. I hope you enjoyed your artificially low taxes though. Keep your blinders on and continue to think everything is OK. Half the time guys like you in this area are collecting CSRS retirement as well. You got yours right? Screw the next generations.
Why is VDOT maintaining roads that should be maintained privately? To put it another way—- many roads are not properly/legally under VDOT’s jurisdiction, yet the taxpayer pays for a few folks riding on VDOT’s dime.
How about we cut back on education and use the much need money for road improvments?
61% of property tax for schools. 39% for everything else. how about a 50/50 split?
Lobbyists are pushing for the budget to be amended to provide $500 million in Virginia taxpayer money so MWAA doesn’t have to pay as much for their Dulles Rail mess. Contact your state legislators to tell them NO money for MWAA and Dulles Rail!
You can thank Tim Kaine for wasting four years. Instead of funding transportation projects, he tried to raise taxes and fees for transportation from his second week in office and up to and including his failed biennial budget.
When he was campaigning for governor, he said transportation was the most critical issue. But his tax and fees proposals were off the wall. So much so that his regional taxes were ruled unconstitutional by the Virginia Supreme Court. Then he was politically forced to set up a web site to refund his abuser fees. Finally, he handed control of the Dulles Toll and the rail project to the WMAA which has greater authority than Virginia law. McDonnell has gotten far more transportation projects moving.
Why are the roads in such disrepair? DEMOCRATES!!!
Transportation is used as a guise for what the VA GOP really wants to do and be: the Vatican, Rome; Anywhere, Iran; Westboro Church, Topeka, KS; the South, Civil War; etc.
Nah, the GOP will just kick the can down the road like they always do, then get back to focusing on oppressing women, gays, and non-evangelical Christians.
Besides, any funding Richmonds decides to drum up would get spent in Henrico and counties west and south of there. They refused to “subsidize” these roads up here, even though all the money comes from here. Heck, even a “representative” from Fairfax agreed. Those GOP boys will say anything to please the good old boys who run the show.
What Republicans thinking about raising taxes, where are all you Teabag scum, shouldn’t you be in the streets threating armed insurrection.
Can’t wait til we can get these morons out of office…
We won’t get any $$ for roads from Richmond. They are too busy creating Virginia Teabagistan where women have no rights, the state can force horrible, invasive medical tests on you, and every person must carry a bible, and a gun, in their vehicles at all times. THAT is what is most important to the old white men in Richmond.
We need money for roads, not rail!
While raising the gas tax to repair crumbling roads appears to be a solution, it would have little value in Loudoun County. VDOT officials explained to me that gas tax funds are for repairing roads “in kind” and cannot be used for improvements, which is mostly what we need in Loudoun. To give some examples, gas tax funds cannot be used to make one-lane bridges two-lane bridges, cannot be used to improve intersections, cannot be used to widen roads, cannot be used to install shoulders, cannot be used to install turn lanes, cannot be used to add turn lanes or acceleration lanes, correct road turbulence (places where lanes end unexpectedly or there is merging traffic but not an acceleration lane), no paving of unpaved roads, etc. You get the idea. Since these are the key transportation needs of Loudoun, an increased gas tax would have little value. Loudoun needs dedicated transportation funding to solve regional and interstate transportation issues and ensure local residents’ access to the roads during peak travel periods.
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