Virginia Senator John Miller (D-1SD) will introduce a bill to abolish the Hampton Roads Transportation Authority (HRTA).
This unelected, unaccountable, unseparated powers Regional Government – ruled un-Constitutional (by unanimous decision of the Virginia Supreme Court) -has already spent $200k.
Let’s see which Hampton Roads legislators sign up to be co-patrons of this bill – and how many Republicans make it bi-partisan for good governance.
(comments below)
(comments below)
The good senator should amend his bill to eliminate the NVTA, as well. Last time I looked, I was not permitted to vote directly for these people.
TMT
TMT: Contact John Miller and ask him to do so. He may demur to let a NoVa pol do it.
I guess someday I’ll understand why these regional authorities cause such angst. NoVA has no effective representation in Richmond. If our elected representative tried to defend the best interests of their constituents, they wouldn’t have enough votes to do so. However, in a tried and true approach, NoVA’s elected state legislators defer to their respective parties and “toe the line” regardless of the consequences for their constitutents. Meanwhile, these unelected regional transportation authorites are (at least) focused on their regions. It would be a lot better of they were elected but I fsil to see the great harm they are doing. At least, they give the cowards we elect and send to Richmond cover on transportation issues. Our elected officials can claim that they wanted to vote with the Virginia Republican Party or Virginia Democractic Party but had to change due to the noise being made by the transportation authority.
Any change in the mid term would have to involve a united Northern Virginia / Tidewater effort to retake the General Assembly in the name of the constituents. Both areas have been receiving shabby treatment from the “descrndants of Pocohontas”. Both areas would benefit from an alliance. Charlottesville might also be brought into the fold – especially under the liberal banner of NoVA. Richmond (the city and suburbs) is a lost cause. They are the beneficiaries of the “descendants of Pocohontas” and will never willingly change the status quo.
In NoVa, the TA has a legitimate function in coordinating the NoVa part of the multi-jurisdiction MWCOG MPO.
The MPOs are the Federal Highway equivalent of Virginia’s Regional Planning Districts.
The Problem in all three cases, MPOs, PD, and Transportation Districts are the same – none of them are elected even though all of them are government (usually) by elected officials by convention.
The problem that they have in HR/TW is the same problem that other MPOs have – not I said MPOs and not TAs.
The MPOs are one-stop shopping for receiving Federal gas tax monies for allocating to Regional Roads.
The problem is that many of these organizations have been essentially co-opted by those who view roads as economic development and who have demonstrated that they prefer NOT to spend money on congestion-reducing strategies.
Many (not all) MPOs operate under the radar screen of most citizens despite rules that they must involve the public – many see the required “public participation” as a separate task from citizens truly participating in deciding what projects will be built with the gas tax money that comes from them.
The result is that if you are someone who has development interests – you typically know what an MPO is whereas if you are a citizen you think it is yet another obscure government agency.
Many MPOs project prioritization though can be and often is controlled by VDOT because while the MPOs make regional decisions about road projects – the actual money is allocated through VDOT which can – and does choose to decide what projects to fund and which ones not to fund.
VDOT, like the MPOs and like the hated TA in HR/TW is not elected and not accountable for prioritization of transportation projects.
Abolition of the TA in HR/TW will be largely symbolic because if Virginia would allocate new money for projects in HR/TW – with or without a TA – the decisions for prioritization will still largely rest with the same existing – unelected and accountable players – the MPO and VDOT who both tend to favor projects that enhance economic development over congestion reduction.
The MPOs, by the way, are where a lot of decisions are made with regard to spending for transit as the Feds take a share of the Federal gas tax and reserve it for transit and allocate that money to the MPOs that want to use it.
Much of the funding for NEW roads by the way- comes from the Feds as the State gas tax is dedicated to maintenance with any left over for new improvements.
The current relationship between VDOT and the MPOs is so complex and nuanced and deals with so many separate funding streams – each with it’s own rules that much of the MPO staffs time is spend -you guess it – keeping the paperwork in order.
But the peddle meets the metal when the MPOs vote for projects to be included in the TIPSs (6 yr plan) and the CLRPs (long range plan).
By the time the public finds out about which road projects are going to be built – and which ones are not – the actual decision is usually several years old.
Both the Port Interests in HR/TW and the Dulles Rail interests in NoVa know how the MPO process works and are way ahead of the citizens in affecting the outcome of projects.
EMR talks about Fundamental Transformation.
The MPOs and their Virginia kissing cousins – the TAs – control the majority of mobility and access decisions by controlling the process of picking which projects to build or not.
The easiest way to get rid of MPOs is the get rid of the Federal Gas tax because it’s these “strings” that are the lifeblood of the MPOs.
Without Federal Funding the rules for spending money would be moot.
finally.. I know this is exceptionally long winded and most people ignoring it but for the folks who stayed with it….
MPOs are being reformed and the rule changes are REQUIRING more public participation – it no longer will be good enough to say that there was a program to inform them – they will have to show that the participation was effective.
All MPOs also have to be re-certified periodically and the HR/TW MPO is in the process of being re-certified and several major failings have been identified that have to do with – guess what – how they prioritize projects!
Finally.. MPOs are NOT REQUIRED to be appointed and unelected.
They CAN BE elected but guess who decides?
For anyone who really believes that the closer the funding decisions are located next to where taxes are collected – the MPOs CAN be affected by citizen involvement – read this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_planning_organization
A worthy initiative of citizens in HR/TW would be to initiate the process of converting the HR/TW to a directly-elected MPO – like Portland’s.
If they succeed.. they could spur other MPOs in Va – to follow suit and I would posit that getting Mr. Miller to abolish the TA rather that requiring a directly-elected TA might be a missed opportunity because the TA.. is largely symbolic .. if the funding and prioritization decisions default to the MPO – anyhow.
Another path for Mr. Miller would be to allow each locality to have a referenda on whether they want their MPO or TA to be directly-elected.
G & LG: We’ve (me and other folks from Tidewater) have walked through this several times. Please print a copy and refer to it in the future.
1. Our MPO= HRPDC =HRTA. They are the same people. Our MPO is not following the rules (law?) and is one of the worst functioning in the country.
We need new people on the MPO and HRPDC. But it takes members of the GA to make that happen.
2. The Plan. The transportation plan for HR/Tidewater was developped in 1997. It is about development, not traffic congestion. If everything is built congestion INCREASES.
The important development of the Port of Virginia which is an economic boom for Virginia – has a dumbass plan that dumps thousands of trucks on I-64 in the middle of metro Peninsula.
The Port of Virginia and the transportation companies who profit aren’t paying squat for the improvements. The taxpayers here are eating it.
The plan doesn’t include the number one traffic problem – the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel.
The plan for the HRTA doesn’t have a vertical priority. Since 1997 the deal has been to fund it all – or nothing. If they had had priorities work could have started 10 years ago.
3. Better Plan. There is enough money in HR/Tidewater share from the Transportation Trust Fund, sales tax they stuck us in 04 (General Fund), user fees (containers, trucks, tolls), Fed fair share, and bonds to fund the top three without ANY NEW TAXES (other than tolls).
– HRBT
-Port of VA – 460 Corridor
-Mid-town tunnel Norfolk
4. No Regional Government. For 400 years the English-speaking People of Virginia have built roads, canals, ports, bridges, tunnels, railroads, airfields, rocket launchers, without Regional Governments.
It is another layer of government where absolutely none is needed. Why create a government when you don’t need one? Every transportation problem can be addressed in the GA by any member. It just takes something called – Leadership.
The Regional Government created by HB 3202 was REJECTED at the polls by Virginians in 1998 and 2002. That should count.
The Regional Government created by HB 3202 was UN-CONSTITUTIONAL by a unanimous vote of the VA Supreme Court. NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION. That shoud matter.
The Regional Government created by HB3202 was unelected (see above), unaccountable and unseparated powers. That is an open invitation to graft, corruption, waste, fraud and abuse.
The first $50k contract went to legal services to Kaufman & Canoles. Sen. Ken Stolle (RINO-VA Beach) is a partner there.
If for some alien odd reason you insist on a regional government then answer these questions (from an op ed I wrote last year) :
1 Why does your plan do NOTHING to decrease congestion on Rte 17, Jefferson
Avenue, Mercury Boulevard and the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel?
2 What part of ‘NO’ do you not understand about the two ‘NO’ votes for Regional
Government, a new level of government with taxing power, your voters made?
(Three if you count the votes Jerry Kilgore lost for supporting Regional
Governments).
3 How many people will be on staff and what will their salaries be –year by year for
this regional government? How many retired and failed politicians will get 6 figure
salaries?
4 Where will their new offices be? Which of your contributors/friends will rent the
building for the government offices? How much will it cost?
5 What will be the cost in legal fees, consulting for environmental studies,
engineering studies, publicity, etc. every year? Which of your contributors/friends
will win those contracts?
6 What automobiles, security services, information technology contracts will be
purchased each year? Which of your contributors/friends will get those contracts
and for how much?
7 Since there is no reviewing authority for any action of the government – are you
still going to build a 3rd Crossing to dump thousands of trucks on I-64 right up the
road from the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel.
8 Americans fought a Revolution over ‘No Taxation Without Representation’, so is
your unelected government a British plot to show us the Revolution was just a
joke?
9 What tax increases and new taxes can we expect from the unelected,
unaccountable government for the next 20 years?
10 Actually, since the Regional Government lasts as long as there is debt – it really is
more than 50 years – and forever isn’t it?
11 If you are Republicans, why did you design an unelected Regional Government
that will be dominated by Democrats from the local city/county governments?
12 James Madison’s genius in designing the Constitution was to separate the
legislative, executive and judiciary powers are every level of government in
Virginia and the U.S. Do you have the same guy who raises taxes, decides how
to spend them (with friends) and answers any questions to himself in your
unaccountable Regional Government to make corruption easier or to make coverups
for foul-ups easier?
13 When you increase taxes in Hampton Roads for $209m in the
first year – how many jobs will you kill? (Answer: Every $150m in new taxes kills
5000 jobs – working poor first) How much will taxes increase every year?
Finally ask the Speaker of the House what the latest polls show the opposition to Regional Government is here in HR/Tidewater – how much has it risen?
Okay – neighbors did I forget anything?
G&LG: Do you get it now?
JAB is right. We don’t need more levels of governmeent we need leadership in the government we have. What we have instead, is party dogma.
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MPOs are being reformed and the rule changes are REQUIRING more public participation – it no longer will be good enough to say that there was a program to inform them – they will have to show that the participation was effective.
This will be a good thing as long as the public participation itself is effective and constructive. Otherwise, all it leads to is still more delays.
As JAB points out, much of the delay we have is due to a lck of priorities and all or nothing planning.
As EMR says, winner take all.
RH
I agree with the bill of particulars that you cite in your opposition.
What I question is – will you actually change the the process if your current MPO continues to exist and continues to be appointed rather than elected?
The prioritization of your road funding will still be decided by the MPO.
I don’t see how you get to what you are advocating as long as the currently constituted MPO continues to exist and operate as it does.
Am I wrong?
Also – just for the record – are you all opposed to the Virginia Planning Districts?
The Port of Virginia and the transportation companies who profit aren’t paying squat for the improvements. The taxpayers here are eating it.
Wow!! They get to operate tax free!! Now, that’s something to compete with the North Carolinas and the Alabamas of the world.
Seriously, if folks like JAB are going to insist that the businesses connected with the port not receive what they would term a ‘subsidy’ from the rest of the tax paying public, then it would be entirely fair to also make sure that they do not subsidize that same tax paying public. In other words, their taxes should be capped at what services they actually use and they should not, for example, subsidize the schools where the rest of tax paying public sends its children.
Good one Tyler.
A subsidy is an incentive you disagree with.
Sure, the ports should be paying their share and no more. The citizens get plenty of benefits from the ports, and they should be willing to pay for the benefits they get: like keeping their jobs.
I keep saying there is no recognized system for ranking and valuing benefits, and not even a way to agree on what such a system would be.
Without that, how the heck do we ever agree on what we should be paying for?
Does ROVA depend to a large degree (but not entirely) on the trickle down economy from Richmond, HR, and NOVA?
Or is it the other way around? NOVA depends on federal money, so if you just look at the ROVA portion of that, and compare it to what trickles back to ROVA, then maybe NOVA is a succubus and not an incubus. Maybe it is just a funnel for Fed money frome elsewhere, and it’s OWN contribution to Virginia is small.
Who knows?
There are a million ways to look at this and it changes over time. Either we accept that allocation is a political process, or we use teh pollitical process to develop an allocation plan that is so obvously fair, that objections like Tyler’s cannot be raised.
I’m not holding my breath. Greed works pretty well.
RH
JAB:
The GA isn’t working. What’s it going to take to get you to see that? The GA and governor have not provided effective leadership in Virginia since the 1820s. Slavery, losing West Virginia, capital of the Confedferacy, the 1902 Virginia Constitution, massive resistence and – now – transportation gridlock.
I want the clowns in Richmond our of Northern Virginia decision making.
You want less government – fine by me. Make the state legislature a ceremonial organization. Or, better yet – eliminate it altogether.
Enough is enough.
You are stuck in the failed policies of the past.
The governemnt which governs closest to the people governs best.
Richmond does not represent me.
If you want to stick with the GA – fine. Allow regions who want out from under that cast of clods freedom. Keep telling yourself that the GA is going to magically working again. Keep telling yourself that Tidewater is going to get fair treatment from Richmond.
I’ll e-mail you a picture of Pocohontas. You can always hope for a reincarnation.
Morgan Griffith to Kaine on transportation: “I’ll pull out. Promise.”
BKD
Wow!
“DONALD RUMSFELD: As you know, you go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time.”
… some poet license…
“As you know, you get the Government that you have not the one you’d might wish to have”.
The folks in this blog are truly representative of this result from the Christopher Newport Study:
“I trust elected and appointed officials to spend new funding only on transportation improvements in Hampton Roads.”
Strongly agree 18
Somewhat agree 26
Somewhat disagree 20
Strongly disagree 33
Bob does not trust NoVa as much as he does the State.
Groveton does not trust the State.
JAB does not trust regional government
Ray trusts them all ..as long as they raise taxes for the “right” things.
… I think it is time again to bring up my proposal that in the future all ballots must contain the line – “None of the above” and if “None of the above” wins – no one represents those folks in Richmond.
but it appears that some folks would not even vote at all anyhow that they are so disillusioned with our grand experiment in Democracy.
Groveton – I think that your assumption that, left to their own devices by the GA, local NoVA government officials would take actions to improve transportation locally is wrong. These guys and gals have no more interest in fixing transportation than does EMR in helping open ten more 1000 home subdivisions in every county outlying NoVA proper.
Virtually all of our local officials also practice the state religion — big developer worship. Their goal is not to improve traffic, which might require rejecting upzoning applications and even down-planning. It’s all about keeping political power, which, in turn, requires access to campaign contributions.
Fairfax County doesn’t need to be a poorly managed vis a vis transportation as it is. Fairfax County officials could elect to reject zoning proposals that make traffic worse. They could transfer the taxpayer funds used to advertise empty office buildings to manage TDM commitments. They could negotiate higher sums for transportation proffers. Etc. They have not done so and will not do so.
The only way to escape is to escape. Figure out when you can retire; sell your house in NoVA; and move to place that tries to govern, at least somewhat, in the public interest.
TMT
TMT –
Your points are well taken. My assumption is that local politicians can be better controlled by the voters. If that assumption is wrong then my whole thesis goes down the drain.
You wrote:
“The only way to escape is to escape. Figure out when you can retire; sell your house in NoVA; and move to place that tries to govern, at least somewhat, in the public interest.”.
I could have retired years ago. My house in NoVA is essentially irrelevant to my net worth.
I was born here.
I will die here.
I am just a nasty bit of NoVA white trash who caught some breaks and made some bucks.
When I retire, it will be to fight the “descendants of Pocohontas” full time. From right here in Northern Virgina.
You seem like a good guy. You seem like you know your stuff. Maybe you should run for office in Fairfax County. I’ll contribute. You can reach me at Groveton@GMail.Com.
Too Many Taxes for Supervisor. It has a certain ring to it.
“Ray trusts them all ..as long as they raise taxes for the “right” things.”
I got a good laugh out of that.
But, if they raise taxes for only the right things, then why wouldn’t I trust them?
We just don’t know what the right things are, and we have no way to decide.
Other than that.
No problem.
RH
I think it is time again to bring up my proposal that in the future all ballots must contain the line – “None of the above” and if “None of the above” wins You must put up a new slate.
Works for me.
In decision making theory, there is a name for this procedure, but it escapes me right now.
RH
“My assumption is that local politicians can be better controlled by the voters. If that assumption is wrong then my whole thesis goes down the drain.”
I grew up in a New England Town meeting environment.
Your assumption is not wrong, in my experience, but the improvement is very marginal. And the resources are a lot smaller.
RH
“Too Many Taxes for Supervisor. It has a certain ring to it.”
I love it.
I’ll contribute too.
That’s right up there with
“Ray Hyde’s Hay Rides”
If only I had a supervisor that would allow them.
RH
“But, if they raise taxes for only the right things, then why wouldn’t I trust them?”
well the small matter that in order for you to be satisfied – your views about what the “right” things are would have to be shared by a majority of voters.
You get what the voters want… but you’re not aligned with most voters views on what the “right” things are?
Like most voters in the NoVa area – despite all the “studies” and data that show otherwise believe that tax money for transit is a good idea.
so.. it’s not corrupt public officials that are ramming down the public’s throat .. transit that they don’t want…
they want it.. even those opposed to the current ways of financing and building METRO to Dulles – fundamentally support the basic concept.. even if it is subsidized.
correct?
Actually, some of my friends, both Democrats and Republicans, approached me last year (2007) to run for Dranesville Supervior in Fairfax County. While flattered, I declined to run for a number of reasons. (I twice served as campaign treasurer for a friend of mine who was a state senator in Minnesota. I hope those experiences cured me forever of ever wanting to run for public office.)
Subsidies in government are not wrong per se. I suspect that most people think it is good to use tax dollars to help support roads in Montana and Fluvanna County, VA. To make sure that public schools can operate in Petersburg. To build and construct public transit to reduce traffic volumes during busy hours and to provide a means of transportation for those without access to cars.
But shouldn’t we also require and measure: 1) local tax and/or fee efforts (Montana should have a higher state gas tax than donor states; and Fluvanna County should also tax itself for transportation needs); 2) Petersburg residents should pay reasonably high taxes to operate their schools and the operations of those schools should be subject to reasonable review and audit; and 3) efficient and effective transit systems should be constructed; their operations and results measured, reviewed and audited; and externalities (benefits to landowners and developers) captured.
The problems occur when none of the controls and reviews are in place.
TMT
Larry,
Here you go with the “it’s the law argument. If that’s the case then what’s wrong with road funding allocations? The people who elected the officials must be getting what the want.
“Like most voters in the NoVa area believe ….that tax money for transit is a good idea.” – despite all the “studies” and data that show otherwise.
By all means, lets think that spending on what we believe is always the “right” thing. Even if the available information shows otherwise.
I believe the “right” thing to spend the people’s money on is whatever gives them (the people) the most in return for what they give. If that’s transit, fine with me. I’ll suspend belief and dogma in favor of data (but not spin).
Too bad that’s a belief that is considered so bizarre.
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“they want it.. even those opposed to the current ways of financing and building METRO to Dulles – fundamentally support the basic concept.. even if it is subsidized.”
How would you know? Subsidized by whom? My point is that any flack can claim anything about what “the people” really want and there is no definitieve information to shwo what that is: just push polls from vested interests.
Then, if you had reliable true information about what people want, wo what? It doesn’t mean that what they want will get them the most return for their money.
TMT is right about what we should require and measure. Otherwise majority rule is just a mob grab of other people’s money. Majority rule says nothing about Pareto efficiency or fairness. It is about power. Government is a monopoly that enjoys power through force over a given area of land.
Even monopolies need auditors. Especially monopolies.
RH
I totally agree with TMT and as an aside in Va’s case, I would urge everyone so interested to take a look at the composite index that Va uses to determine how to allocate education funds.
My point on transit is twofold:
1. – if you send money off to Richmond/Washington – the decision to spend it on transit or not is no longer yours no matter what your arguments are
2. – if the money is local and local citizens support it – even if it is a subsidy -then they HAVE participated in that decision.
The idea that it is ‘fair’ to help Montana with their roads is a wonderful “do gooder” sentiment but you don’t get to decide to help Montana – you give your money to someone who says they will help Montana .. and oh by the way.. they’ve got some other ideas also of how to spend your money and don’t bother worrying your little old head about those other ideas.. especially if the concept of transit gives you heartburn.
You guys were going on and on about the “bait and switch” of the HOT lanes and VRE.. when every single day your Federal and State gas tax dollars are ROUTINELY spent on things like VRE.. and you’re no smarter because of it – right?
Bob talks about money for Transportation Museums in Pennsylvania and sidewalks in Peroria …
yup.. true.. when you agree to send your tax money to “help” Montana ..guess what happens to it?
Bob blathers on about fancy office drapes in Fairfax.. but how many office drapes does your Fed gas tax buy? How many coffee messes and free donuts does your gas tax buy?
How many subsidized transit passes does your gas tax buy?
Bob is good at this.
I’m willing to be he could compile a gawd-awful list of inappropriate stuff that your Fed gas tax buys
..but you insist that this is a “good thing” because it “helps” Montana…
how about we raise your gas tax to help pay for more HOT lanes – and new drapes for the folks who run the hot lanes offices?
🙂
Here is the electoral math on why Regional government isn’t representative enough.
When I vote for city council I am one of 12,000 citizens.
When I vote for my Delegate in the House I am one of 70,000 citizens.
When I vote for my State Senator I am one of 180,000 citizens.
If I could vote, actually, for a Bubba to be on the HRTA I would be one of 1.3 million citizens.
Who do you think is most responsive to the voters?
I sympathize with the MPO issue in HR/TW but all things considered, I still think you have a much better chance of affecting MPO decisions that you do of some guy sitting in an office building in Richmond or Washington. (see below)
Try this:
Got to the six year plan for your region/locality and pick a project and look at the money programmed for that project especially over several years and then ask yourself what process determined how much money that project was allocated – or more often – not allocated and that project has sat – unfunded for a decade?
Who decided to spend your gas tax money on what projects – when?
Some years, some projects get no funding.. and no reasons given why either.. that’s just the way it is.
Or ask yourself when Norfolk gets a light rail grant .. who decided to take your Federal gas tax money and give it to Norfolk for light rail?
Who decided that 3 cents of the 16 cents of the Fed Gas Tax got dedicated to transit?
And actually, you folks in HR/TW have a prime opportunity to become involved in the reform of your MPO as it is my understanding that they failed their recertification review and now have about a dozen changes they must make if they are to be able to allocate funds in the future.
This is the HR/TW citizens opportunity to advocate for a process that addresses the interests of citizens more so than economic development or port interests.
“If I could vote, actually, for a Bubba to be on the HRTA I would be one of 1.3 million citizens.
Who do you think is most responsive to the voters?”
Good point. Things the regional gov’t folks don’t point out. More government isn’t the answer, and sometimes, more responsive government is’nt the answer either. Mob rule starts that way.
I think that’s why we have a house and senate.
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We keep hollering about no new taxes, and then we want whole new governments, or private-industry-collecting-for-govt. It makes no sense to me. We have a dept of transportation. Keep kicking them out until you find someone who can do the job – all of the job.
RH
“This is the……citizens opportunity to advocate for a process that addresses the interests of citizens more so than economic development…..”
Economic development is not in the citizen’s interests?
So, it is OK for citizens to advocate against other people making money?
What interests do the citizens have that are not economic? How much are they willing to spend (lose) to have their interests promoted more than the next guy’s interests?
I would ask the folks from HR/TW what they think of their MPO’s transportation “focus”.
From what I hear – citizens want their taxes spent on infrastructure to reduce congestion and the port interests want infrastructure to essentially subsidize the port interests.
The infrastructure that citizens want is not the infrastructure that the ports want.
taking transportation money for infrastructure for economic development is not necessarily in the interests of citizens if congestion just gets worse and worse.
ask the guys from HR/TW how they feel about their MPO.
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