Kaine pitches transportation plan

STAUNTON — As Gov. Tim Kaine sees it, the commonwealth must invest more in its roads and bridges and in rail and public transportation, or suffer long-term economic consequences.
Kaine pitched his transportation plan during a town hall stop in Staunton Thursday night. The governor is conducting 10 such meetings across Virginia that will last through the middle of June.
While the plan involves tax increases regionally and statewide, Kaine said Virginia has historically ranked behind the rest of the country in its funding sources for transportation.
“And you can’t grow your way to prosperity with a declining infrastructure,” the governor told the crowd at Mary Baldwin College.
Toward the end of his presentation, Kaine said the transportation woes won’t go away.
“We can address it now or wait five years, and the construction costs will go up,” he said.
The General Assembly will consider the Kaine plan when it holds a special session June 23. But the governor had a word of advice for legislators Thursday night.
“Don’t walk out with nothing,” he said. He asked the General Assembly to work him as a problem solver, and to take action.
The Kaine plan revolves around improved safety.
By increasing the annual car registration fee $10 and new vehicle sales tax from 3 to 4 percent and dedicating those funds to road maintenance, Kaine said Virginia can add necessary funding.
Kaine said road projects now on hold can be accomplished and aging bridges can be fixed.
And there will be more funding for such neglected areas as unpaved roads.
A one-cent increase in the state sales tax in both Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads will help those congested areas improve transportation.
Indirectly, Kaine said a better economy in those regions helps the entire commonwealth.
“Those two areas export money to the rest of the state,” he said.
The third prong of the Kaine plan calls for a transportation change fund, which would come from increasing the grantor’s tax on the sale of property by 25 cents per $100.
The money garnered from this increase would be used to help with upgrading rail and public transportation.
Using public transportation means less cars on the road, and Kaine believes rail can also help free up highway space.
Kaine said he resisted raising the state gas tax because gas prices are so high. And he said Virginia House members would resist raising the tax.
“The House speaker says the gas tax is non-negotiable,” said Kaine, who said putting a gas tax raise in his plan would send a message he isn’t serious.
Many in the audience questioned tax increases.
Ben Marchi, executive director of the Virginia chapter of Americans for Prosperity, asked Kaine if more savings could be found in the state budget.
Marchi noted that the budget had doubled in the past decade.
Kaine said cuts have already been made in state spending to deal with recent revenue shortfalls.