Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
P. O. Box 3711
204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
276-638-8801
Toll Free: 800-234-6575
|
|
 |
|
|
| Griffith: Get road funds now |
State Sen. Roscoe Reynolds (left) addresses the Post-Legislative Conference and Luncheon sponsored by the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday. Seated at the table are (from left after Reynolds) Dels. Ward Armstrong, Danny Marshall and Morgan Griffith. (Bulletin photo) |
| More Photos |
Thursday, March 1, 2007
By MICKEY POWELL - Bulletin Staff Writer
Funds for rural highway projects must be allocated now before lawmakers from urban areas control the state’s coffers, according to Del. Morgan Griffith.
Griffith, R-Salem, predicted Wednesday that by 2012 — due to redistricting anticipated after the next census — 55 percent of the General Assembly will be comprised of lawmakers from Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.
Those lawmakers then “will have the power to raid the treasury” to fund the needs of their regions, Griffith said during the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce’s Post-Legislative Conference and Luncheon.
Consider, too, that it takes “entirely too long” for highway construction projects to get going, said Dana Martin, the area’s representative on the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB).
Del. Danny Marshall, R-Danville, emphasized that the state funding formula for transportation projects is based on lane mileage, not on traffic counts. If that formula changes, Southside would lose transportation funds, he said.
Marshall and Griffith made their comments in support of the transportation package approved by the General Assembly on Saturday. It includes borrowing $2.5 billion in bonds through 2016 to fund improvements to Virginia highways. The bonds would be repaid with revenues from the state tax paid by people who record wills, land deeds and lawsuits in courts, according to The Associated Press.
The package came after several years of wrangling by lawmakers over transportation needs.
Funding for the U.S. 58 bypass around Hillsville is included in the package, said state Sen. W. Roscoe Reynolds, D-Ridgeway. Economic developers say that project will help industry recruitment efforts in Southside because the highway will be better able to accommodate large trucks.
Some lawmakers, including Del. Ward Armstrong, D-Collinsville, are opposed to the bill’s use of general fund money for transportation projects. Armstrong noted that the general fund pays for police, education, health care needs and other core services.
Griffith, who pushed legislative compromises that led to the transportation package, reasoned that “when you’re going to the general store and driving on a general road, shouldn’t you be able to spend a little of the general fund on transportation?”
He said the $2.5 billion to be borrowed is less than 1 percent of the general fund, and the state is contributing more than $20 million annually to agencies outside government.
Gov. Tim Kaine has indicated he might make amendments to the legislation and he is willing to veto it if lawmakers reject any changes he makes.
The General Assembly will reconvene April 4 to consider amendments or vetoes the governor makes to legislation approved in the session that ended Saturday.
“Certainly we’ll try to work with the governor” to develop compromises agreeable to all, Griffith said of lawmakers.
Democrats and Republicans both “must present their ideas in a cogent and articulate manner,” Armstrong said.
“Hopefully, we’ll keep the transportation plan on track,” added Richard Eanes, the chamber’s vice chairman of government affairs.
It is up to lawmakers and the governor — not the Commonwealth Transportation Board — to allocate funds for transportation projects, Martin said, indicating that his board will be receptive to any funding it receives.
“The CTB is looking to see what we can do to make the best of what we have,” he said.
Virginia Department of Transportation Salem District Administrator Richard Caywood was scheduled to speak at the luncheon but was unable to attend due to a family emergency. Del. Robert Hurt, R-Chatham, also could not attend due to another commitment.
Among other matters mentioned at the luncheon were:
• Now that he is House Minority leader, Armstrong said, he hopes the region will be able to get more resources from the state, such as transportation improvements.
• State Sen. Emmett W. Hanger Jr., R-Mount Solon, has been appointed to the New College Institute Board of Directors, Reynolds announced.
Hanger has served in the Senate since 1996. He previously served in the House of Delegates from 1983 to 1992, according to an online profile.
• Reynolds outlined his efforts against the bill that removes some State Corporation Commission regulation of utility rate increases. He said the bill will mean higher electricity rates for customers.
Reynolds added that he hopes Kaine will amend the bill.
• Efforts to raise the minimum wage for Virginians failed during the recent legislative session, Marshall said.
Included in that effort was his proposal that people must have a high school diploma or GED to receive the increase, he said. Griffith complimented him on that proposal, calling it a “different twist.”
Lawmakers will press the issue again next year, Marshall said. |
| |
|
|
.jpg)
