Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance Alert

Upping the Ante in Arlington
January 28, 2011

The way Delegate Tim Hugo figures it, if Arlington County can spend millions on an I-95/I-395 HOT Lanes lawsuit that could cost Virginia taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in lost private sector transportation dollars and similar amounts of lost time sitting in traffic, maybe the County really doesn't need some of the revenue it has enjoyed in the past or is seeking from the Commonwealth of Virginia in the future.

And if the Arlington Board of Supervisors finds it acceptable to play the race card and sue a former Virginia Secretary of Transportation and current federal employee as individuals, and set a precedent that could have a devastating impact on other state and federal employees, then perhaps there is no reason to honor some of Arlington's legislative requests.

More specifically, Delegate Hugo has --
Introduced Budget Item #436 5h (page 378 after line 30) that states if the construction of a HOT Lanes project does not occur due to the actions of a specific jurisdiction, future funding allocations to the jurisdiction will be reduced to repay the Commonwealth for expenditures made for that canceled project.

Introduced Budget Item #447 3h (page 383 after line 39) that prohibits the Commonwealth from making future contributions to the Columbia Pike streetcar project.

Introduced Budget Amendment #455 2h (page 389 after line 21) directing VDOT's Auditor General to audit the use of state maintenance dollars and compare the condition of Arlington's roadways with other urbanized areas in the Commonwealth.

Delegate Hugo also expressed some concern about HB 1513 that would extend Arlington's additional transient occupancy tax until 2015.

HB 1513 is currently before the House Finance Subcommittee #2. To register your views, please click here.

It is unfortunate that the Arlington Board's actions could cause Arlington citizens and businesses to lose state revenue and potentially pay even higher taxes. However...

Bad Decisions Can Have Bad Consequences

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The Alliance Alert is a free online update on regional transportation issues and public involvement opportunities provided by the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance. For more information on regional transportation issues and NVTA, please visit our website at www.nvta.org.