Residents Ask Petersen, Keam About Transportation, Budget

Funding transportation projects and Gov. Bob McDonnell's proposed budget were at the top of residents' concerns Saturday at a town hall meeting with Sen. Chap Petersen and Del. Mark Keam.

Despite a morning with snowy and icy conditions, more than 50 residents came to the American Legion in Vienna, from as close as five minutes down the road to the far-reaching part of Petersen's district in Centreville, to hear about the legislators' plans, ask questions and offer suggestions.

Petersen (D-34th District) and Keam (D-35th District) both said they were optimistic about Virginia, its budget and its future.

Petersen said the General Fund Revenues for FY 2012 are projected to fall in line with what they were in 2008, shortly before the recession hit. He also said the state has regained 49,000 jobs over the past three years, about 36 percent of what was lost in the recession. Nationally, only 25 percent of jobs lost have been recovered.

He added despite victories, Virginia's dependence on federal money — about two-thirds of fiscal year 2010 job growth came federal jobs — could slow the state's growth. Fairfax County, he said, receives about 41.6 percent of the state's federal procurement dollars.

Residents who came to the meeting, though, were worried about how the state would handle the growing demand of transportation improvements, particularly for a developing Tysons Corner, and how other unfunded mandates — like devolution and an increase in employer contributions to Virginia Retirement System (VRS) — would affect localities.

Petersen and Keam both expressed concerns about Gov. Bob McDonnell's $4 billion transportation plan, a three-year proposal funded largely by federal bonds and not by any truly new revenue, Keam said.

Keam Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) campaigned two years ago on finding such sources, but other than serving more bonds already in place, the governor has come up short, Keam said.

"The maintenance fund has been depleted, there's no new money for new construction except for the $4 billion in loans we're going to take from the federal government, so the real problem is that there is absolutely no new money in the Commonwealth for transportation, that's reality" Keam said. "So unless somebody is willing to come up with a new idea that says here is a new source of money that's coming from out of nowhere into the system or taking money that's already in the system and not being used for one of the core functions and then allocate that for transportation, there's no other solution."

A resident also noted the budget does not specifically outline how exactly to the Dulles Rail Project in November will be funded.

Other transportation bills discussed include Petersen's SB162, which would index the fuels tax, and Del. Joe May (R-Leesburg)'s HB802, which would create a pump toll of $0.50 on each use of a retail gasoline pump and an additional $0.50 when purchasing 35 or more gallons (with other tolls for larger vehicles and trucks).

Vienna Councilman Michael Polychrones asked what the legislators' position was on the governor's proposed $2.2 billion increase in employer contributions to VRS, about half of which would come from localities.

For responses to these questions, click the videos in the media player above.

• Question: I'm concerned about Del. Joe May's proposed bill to create a "pump fee" at gas stations (which would charge consumers $0.50 each time they used the pump, with the revenue going toward transportation). My lawnmower never goes out on the road but when I go out and get gas, I’m going to be hit with a 50-cent fee. I don’t see how you get around that.
• Question: Virginia’s gas is about 40 cents more than anywhere in the deep south, and they don’t have many terrible roads … why is that?
• Question: Are either of you on any bills that would benefit the "gray" (boomer/senior citizen) community?
• Question: As I understand it, all road maintenance has to be done before we take on new construction projects ... but there’s not one penny in the system to fix all the roads that need it. How’s the state going to handle that? How’s that going to get done?
• Question: What is your position on the proposed $2.2 billion increase in employer contributions to the Virginia Retirement System, which is essentially an unfunded mandate for localities?
• Question: Have you considered reaching out to Hampton Roads to partner on transportation packages?
• Question: What happened to the $150 million the state pledged to Dulles Toll Road?

This article has been updated.