Rex Simmons: "Richmond, We Have a Problem"

Richmond, We Have a Problem

To the Editor:

The Virginia Supreme Court has ruled unconstitutional major portions of the transportation funding plan adopted last year by the Republican-controlled General Assembly.  Readers will recall this was a seriously flawed plan that provided a marginally acceptable level of money and the hated abusive driver fees.  Now the component of the plan that authorized the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority to levy special taxes is illegal.

Last year's General Assembly tried to duck its responsibility to raise money for fixing our traffic mess by instead having the regional authority raise seven new regional taxes.  The Supreme Court has ruled that the authority cannot raise taxes because it is not an elected body.  According to the court, "the General Assembly has failed to adhere to the mandates of accountability and transparency that the Constitution requires."

The root of the problem has been a General Assembly that lacks the courage to cast votes on raising taxes to pay for transportation.  These courage-challenged delegates included Republicans Tim Hugo, Dave Albo, and Tom Rust from Fairfax County.  

Of course nobody wants to pay one penny more in taxes than needed.  But, transportation in Virginia is primarily funded by a tax on gasoline that has been set at $0.175 per gallon for over 20 years, one of the lowest levels in the United States.  Our population in Northern Virginia and some other parts of the state has grown exponentially since the tax was last increased.  The roads and public transportation that the low gasoline tax will pay for simply are inadequate for our needs.  Our commutes get longer almost daily, and the situation is both dangerous and threatens our quality of life.

The most expedient fix to the problem of the unconstitutional law would be for the General Assembly to raise the same taxes that it wanted the regional authority to raise.  That is better than nothing which is what we have been left with in Northern Virginia after Hugo, Albo, and Rust's funding gimmicks failed.  This time the regional taxes should also be extended to residents and businesses in Stafford County, the home of House Speaker William Howell and thousands of Northern Virginia commuters who got off the tax hook last year.

To again shirk responsibility, the General Assembly could delegate the taxing authority to each of the counties and cities in our area, but that approach has long had dissenters and would create added roadblocks to solving our traffic problem, especially if neighboring jurisdictions do not agree on appropriate measures.  The traffic problem is much bigger than any of our local governments and crosses all boundaries.

It is time for the General Assembly members to do what they are elected to do and be accountable for it.  They should come up with the funding needed for transportation solutions for our region and the entire state, even if they must vote to raise some taxes.  Frankly, we need a bigger solution than we got last year.  We need a General Assembly that will help solve our problem and nothing less is acceptable.

Rex Simmons
2007 Delegate Candidate, 40th District

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