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John Chichester |
By KELLY HANNON
Virginia Sen. Janet Howell, D-Fairfax, got a peek at the life of Fredericksburg-area commuters yesterday.
She sat in nightmarish traffic, from Northern Virginia all the way to the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center, where the Senate Finance Committee was presenting transportation bills at a public meeting.
"It took me three hours and 15 minutes to get there," Howell said, to the knowing laughter of the audience.
The light moment underscored the reason for the gathering, concern over the state's transportation infrastructure and how to pay for improvements and maintenance in future years as the population booms.
The Senate Finance Committee has been hosting public meetings across the state to drum up interest in the topic. Last night's stop in Fredericksburg nearly filled a ballroom.
Many who spoke lamented the current budget stalemate between the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate over transportation funding.
Sen. John Chichester, R-Northumberland, seemed to indicate something could happen soon. "Crunch time is near. This is very very close to the time we have to pull the trigger," he said.
Sen. Edd Houck, D-Spotsylvania, also attended the meeting.
The difference between the transportation plans was presented by Finance Committee staff. The Senate provides new, permanent sources of revenue for transportation with a mix of higher taxes and fees. By comparison, the House doesn't want to raise taxes. Its plan would use money from the state's general fund, which also pays for education, public safety and health care.
Without a budget of any kind, local roads will suffer, said Virginia Secretary of Transportation Pierce Homer. Primary, secondary and urban road construction projects will get $870 million less in funding over the next six years if nothing is done.
Sen. Charles Hawkins, R-Chatham, gave a fiery address, saying transportation is the greatest challenge for the current generation of Virginians. He said technology companies in Northern Virginia that fuel the state's economy will flee if the quality of life degrades because of poor roads.
Hawkins defended the Senate's plan to raise taxes and fees.
"Reality is, anything we do in this country is paid for by taxpayers," Hawkins said.
Most of the public who had a chance to speak agreed with Hawkins.
Bob Gibbons, chairman of the Stafford Board of Supervisors, said public transit needs in the Fredericksburg area will grow as 22,000 jobs move to Fort Belvoir and more than 6,000 jobs are established at Quantico Marine Corps Base.
"VRE will become the Metro for our area," Gibbons said, referring to the Virginia Railway Express.
Hap Connors, chairman of the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors, said his constituents are "fed up" with congested roads, so much so that voters passed a $144 million bond package of transportation projects. Connors asked the state to be a better partner on road projects.
"I know your package is the only one that meets the needs of our transportation system," Connors told senators. "Your package gives this region more money than the opposing package."
Fredericksburg Fire Chief Eddie Allen said even minor traffic disruptions on U.S. 1, State Route 3 and Interstate 95 make it difficult to transport people to Mary Washington Hospital.
Peter Pfotenhauer, a Spotsylvania teacher who spoke as an individual resident, said he sees students who fail to complete homework assignments because their parents are commuting home from work and are not there to supervise after school.
Several opponents of the Senate plan spoke, too, and there were potentially more in the audience. Stafford resident Bob Hunt, a commuter for 25 years, said he understands the state's traffic needs but thinks the state budget should be passed now, and transportation funding should be taken up as a separate issue in the fall.
Hunt said last night's thunderstorm prevented him from arriving early and getting on the list of people who were called by Chichester to speak. Chichester called on individuals from a list, and then at random from the audience, until 8:45 p.m. Hunt said a group of opponents of the Senate's plan were in attendance.
Robert Stuber of Spotsylvania spoke against the Senate's plan at the meeting. "I felt like I was attending the pep rally for an opposing school's homecoming," Stuber said.
He asked senators to consider single moms, construction workers and maids as they ask for statewide tax increases.
"You're asking us to pay a billion dollars more a year in taxes above what the House already wants us to pay," Stuber said.
At least one business owner, Joe Daniel of Blue Ridge Growers, said he'd prefer to pay the higher taxes if his inventory moved faster along the Capital Beltway.
"I can agree to pay higher taxes if I can save some of the labor costs I'm spending for a guy to sit up here in a parking lot," Daniel said.
To reach KELLY HANNON:
Email: khannon@freelancestar.com
