No serious leader maintains that this country can build a long-term energy policy around petroleum. Likewise, there is a growing recognition that we cannot rely on gas taxes to build the roads Virginia needs to ensure a prosperous future.
Thus the state is confronted with a choice. It can raise other taxes and fees to pay for roads, or it can redirect existing revenues that have traditionally been reserved for schools, colleges, health care and prisons.
Neither alternative promises a free ride. The dilemma has deeply divided the legislature, both political parties, and urban and rural communities across Virginia for years.
Sen. Ken Stolle of Virginia Beach brings an original perspective to the debate, a perspective that offers hope for a renewed commitment to fresh solutions as the General Assembly gathers Monday for a special session on transportation.
His plan avoids a tax increase by linking road funding to economic growth, a tie that would allow Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia to harness their considerable resources in an assault on their most vexing problem.
In Hampton Roads, Stolle looks to the region's burgeoning port commerce for money. Port officials predict the volume of cargo streaming in and out of Hampton Roads will roughly triple in about 20 years, fed by the new APM Terminals and a proposed state terminal on Craney Island.
Stolle's plan would earmark 25 percent of future growth in port tax revenues for regional road improvements. Additional dollars would be committed to the host cities of Norfolk, Portsmouth and Newport News.
The nexus makes sense. The port cannot thrive trapped behind a line of stand-still traffic and a wall of exhaust fumes. Money invested in a healthy road system will allow the port to maximize its immense potential. A similar model could be adopted in Northern Virginia around the Dulles International Airport.
Stolle's plan, which also includes new statewide tolling on interstates, does not reduce funding for other services. The trade-off, and not a small one, is that this will put roads in competition with schools and health care for future tax dollars. Stolle makes a valid point when he notes that those services will suffer if Virginia's economy is strangled by traffic.
Even so, Gov. Tim Kaine and other lawmakers have equally valid concerns that Stolle's plan will make it more difficult to address other pressing state needs, including mental health reforms.
Kaine favors increasing taxes to pay for roads. His plan would raise taxes on car sales, real estate transfers and regional retail sales. The governor's proposal protects other crucial state services but adds to the burden on two industries already in distress.
The governor's plan lacks support even among key Democrats, raising questions about his ability to obtain consensus during this week's special legislative session.
Although Stolle and Kaine have chosen different approaches, they share a welcome and instinctive desire to solve problems. While that quality is regrettably rare at the state Capitol, they can find allies in their cause, including Del. John Cosgrove, chairman of the Hampton Roads caucus.
Still, it's going to take more than three men to fix the transportation tangle, as it took more to solve the state's financial crisis four years ago.
If those three, and other like-minded leaders, can set politics aside to reach a compromise, they will also be setting Virginia on the road to ending the transportation woes that threaten the economies of both Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia, as well as the future of the state itself.
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As the pilot stated
"Thus the state is confronted with a choice. It can raise other taxes and fees to pay for roads, or it can redirect existing revenues that have traditionally been reserved for schools, colleges, health care and prisons."
Where does it all end, just what do we cut to pay for our transportation needs?
Fixing the Transportation tangle
"Still, it's going to take more than three men to fix the transportation tangle, as it took more to solve the state's financial crisis four years ago."
"If those three, and other like-minded leaders, can set politics aside to reach a compromise, they will also be setting Virginia on the road to ending the transportation woes that threaten the economies of both Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia, as well as the future of the state itself."
And if the other GA don't follow suit, we are headed for a financial desaster in the future. Get the job done!
Gee whiz George, Gee whiz Mike
Quote: "The governor's plan lacks support even among key Democrats, raising questions about his ability to obtain consensus during this week's special legislative session." What the heck happened to your "concensus" for this plan you were bragging about?? What's this....the plan lacks support even among Democrats. Gosh George, what does that do to your "Republicans are in the way of everything" argument. Did they just kick the legs out from under your chairs? And what is this...discussion of funds diverted from the Transportation Trust Fund??!! Why that cannot and has not happened. Mike Barret says those funds are safe! They are actually talking about tolls and user fees!! Well, we all know that cannot work. Right George, right Mike?? The world as we know it is just falling apart.
We Virginians are a diverse
We Virginians are a diverse lot; some support programs in the public interest that support civil society and health, welfare, and public safety, while others label these initiatives as socialist intrusions in to the body politic. No wonder that our representatives often have difficulty finding the practical and pragmatic center. So is the case with transportation. While over a century ago, progressives attempted to establish that the necessary functions of government should be non partisan, under the pressure that comes from delegates who have been elected because they ran against government, it has been difficult to even fulfill the basic functions, like transportation. When two delegates from Hampton Roads went on TV just before the 2002 referendum and said, you can't trust us to get this right, I guess we reached the epitome of self destruction and delusion. Let's us hope that some balance has been restored since then.
Get real people
Let's think about this for a second--earmarking future growth in port taxes. The problem is we needs roads now. We can't link road building to economic growth since we need a steady source of funds and the economy is too cyclical. We're now heading into a downturn. How much money do we now receive in port taxes? I seriously doubt it's enough to cover our current needs. This is just more smoke and mirror from the "borrow and spend" conservatives. If it weren't for their tax cuts and loopholes for the rich, the burden wouldn't be that much on the rest of us. Taxes are as American as lying politicians and deficit spending. Everything costs money. Get over it and pay up.
RE: did anyone hear it
As if Republicans don't lie????? The biggest of the all came from Bush/Cheney and the war of lies that is about to bankrupt the country.
Did anyone hear it?
Did anyone hear Kaine mutter...but, but, but I wouldn't have all of those extra new tax dollars to pay for my socialist programs. Funny how this argument is about transportation but suddenly those proverbial "services" keep coming into play. Truth be told, we already have been shafted on taxes too many times by watching our tax dollars being diverted to meaningless socialist or subsidy programs. Time after time, what we were told was nothing but lies (Warner especially included).
Wow
It's only taken them over 10 years to figure out what the taxpayers have been saying all along. 1. Make the port pay for it's driveway. 2. Make all state funded services compete for dollars. If they compete we will get efficient use of our dollars!
Careful!
I don't know if this is a good approach ot not, but if Sen Stolle is involved, keep at least one eye open.
$6.5B RT 460 & 3rd Crossing meant for port - let port pay
The VBTA (Virginia Beach Taxpayer's Allinace) has been advocating the use of the port taxes to be used to pay for the required highway, rail, and dredging improvements needed to handle the state owned port's voluntary expansion plans for several years now. It is good to witness that the common sense provided by the taxpayers and not the business lobby is finally being made use of. Good job Senator Stolle.