Kaine looks to boost budget for transportation

VIRGINIA BEACH

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said Wednesday he will introduce another plan to boost Virginia's sagging transportation budgets during a special General Assembly session this spring.

At a town hall meeting at Virginia Wesleyan College, Kaine said he hopes his new plan will have "a maximum chance of passing" because he is basing it on discussions he is having with leaders in the General Assembly.

He said those talks began immediately after the Virginia Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional a plan to have regional authorities impose taxes on citizens in Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia.

In its Feb. 29 ruling, the court said the authority to raise taxes rests with the assembly. The ruling abruptly ended plans to develop six major projects that regional leaders consider vital to Hampton Roads long-term financial health.

Kaine did not reveal what new options he is weighing, only that he wants "to make sure the region s have the money they need and that statewide maintenance needs are addressed."

Any proposal to raise taxes will meet stiff resistance from Republican leaders in the House who have remained steadfast in their opposition to statewide tax increases. But that has not stopped others from trying.

Last year, regional leaders sought permission to raise $275 million a year and use tolls to build about $9 billion in road projects, many of them at congested water crossings.

The assembly responded with a regional authority that could raise $162.2 million a year and toll roads to pay the cost. Although the authority was unwieldy, a majority of 12 cities and counties backed it as their only hope of moving forward with projects that are years behind schedule.

Those efforts ended with the supreme court ruling. Kaine's new plan is likely to be one of a handful that will be considered as lawmakers struggle to pass legislation that will raise taxes. "We have to find a means to make sure the regions will come out of it with the same magnitude of money they were counting on," he said.

Virginia's transportation funds are unable to meet the demand for new interstate construction and increasingly expensive maintenance needs.

This year Virginia took $388 million out of its interstate construction budget and put it interstate maintenance because it is required to fund repairs first before building new.

Also, this year the Commonwealth Transportation Board said that Virginia will have $1.1 billion less to spend on its key non-interstate roads over the next six years.

Hit hard will be the three major funds that Hampton Roads cities and counties rely on to improve local roads that carry the bulk of vehicles.

Kaine said he plans another round of discussions in about 10 days with assembly leaders. He also applauded efforts by local lawmakers to develop a plan that might meet regional needs and pass political muster.

On April 3, the Hampton Roads caucus will meet in Suffolk to come up with a plan.

House Republican leaders have repeatedly said they will not support statewide tax increases, despite backing the creation of now-defunct regional authorities.

Kaine held the fifth of 10 planned town hall meetings at Virginia Wesleyan to tout accomplishments from the recent assembly session and take questions from the audience. About 200 people attended.

Among the bills Kaine talked about were provisions to reform domestic violence law and changes to mental health care in the wake of the shootings at Virginia Tech last spring.

Tom Holden, (757) 446-2331, tom.holden@pilotonline.com