Pr. William Backs Transportation Tax Plan

Loudoun board Chairman Scott K. York (I), the county's representative on the NVTA board, is expected to vote against the new taxes. York did not return several phone calls this week.

This week, Prince William board Chairman Corey A. Stewart (R-At large) said he preferred to postpone a decision on the NVTA until the fall, after summer vacation season, when the public presumably would be more focused. He also wanted to see more details on what projects would be funded.

But yesterday, Stewart said state law forced the board to act.

"We have to deal with the hand we're dealt," Stewart said.

Earlier in the day, Chris Zimmerman, the Arlington Democrat who chairs the NVTA, said delaying a vote on the new taxes would not accomplish anything but delay.

"What would be different in the fall?" asked Zimmerman, a member of the Arlington County Board. "I'm not hearing from anybody that we should study transportation more."

"Delay is the enemy," said Gerald E. Connolly, the NVTA representative from Fairfax County, the largest regional jurisdiction by far. Connolly (D), chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, said he plans to vote for the tax package because "all I hear from my constituents is that we need to do something besides dither and debate."

If the revenue measure passes, the first thing the NVTA plans to do is address legal issues surrounding its constitutionality.

Zimmerman said the NVTA will file a request in Circuit Court for a ruling on the legality of the law that created it. After the request is filed, Loudoun and other jurisdictions have 10 days to object.

If the package passes, the authority will also work on a six-year spending plan for transportation projects.

Last month, the NVTA provided an initial list of 22 "ready-to-go" projects that would be the first funded by the new taxes. The list includes a Fairfax County Parkway interchange, the widening of the Prince William Parkway and a bus-rapid-transit line through Arlington and Alexandria.

The projects were chosen because design and right-of-way acquisition are complete or nearly so. Many of the projects on the list have been on the drawing board for years but have not been included in the state's transportation funding plan, which has been reduced as more money has been needed for maintenance.

Nohe said he has heard from constituents who are against higher taxes and fees. But he said the situation demands tough decisions.

"You have to respond to practical realities," Nohe said. "People are screaming for solutions."