21st Century Transportation Committee

Transportation group adopts report

bniolet — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:02:58 -0500

A special transportation committee gave final approval Wednesday to a report that proposes creating a tax on the number of miles a car is driven each year, as well as several other options for generating highway and transit money.

The vehicle miles tax would be calculated during the car's annual inspection and likely would supplement or replace the gas tax. Legislators on the 21st Century Transportation Committee cautioned that a new tax is unlikely to advance during the sort of budget crisis the state faces this year.

The special committee was formed to propose a menu of options for transportation funding, because the state's primary sources of money, the gas tax and a tax on car sales, are flat or declining in revenue because of factors such as more fuel efficient and longer lasting vehicles.

The group also proposed toll booths on I-77 and I-95.

Committee member Chuck McGrady, however, said the committee skirted the question of overhauling how the Department of Transportation operates after years of complaints about turf battles, political patronage and dysfunctional divisions.

"We haven't gone far enough," said McGrady, a Henderson County Commissioner.

Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy, another committee member, cast the lone 'no' vote on the final version of the recommendations, saying the vehicle miles tax unfairly penalized rural residents with long commutes and no public transportation.

Committee chair Brad Wilson, chief operating officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, said the road funding report could gather dust on a shelf unless individuals and communities support the recommendations. He acknowledged that raising new taxes is unpopular but said that a failing transportation system will make the state less attractive to new employers.

Criticism of the report after the jump.

Panel recommends 'odometer' tax

markjohnson — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:29:34 -0500

The 21st Century Transportation Committee approved a package of money raising proposals Wednesday afternoon that includes a tax on the number of miles a car travels each year.

The group also recommended putting toll booths on I-95 and I-77.

The special panel, made up of lawmakers and non-legislators alike, will hold a final vote on the recommendations on Dec. 10 before sending them on to the legislature. The vehicle miles tax would be collected during the car's annual inspection and would replace or supplement the currrent gas tax, which has produced less money than in the past because of fuel efficiency, a cap on the tax and, more recently, declining fuel prices.

The committee was charged with finding options for raising an additional $1 billion a year in transportation funding to address the state's growing population and transit needs. North Carolina maintains more miles of roads than any other state except Texas because the state does not require the counties to share in the maintenance and construction costs.

Legislators serving on the committee immediately dismissed the prospects of the proposals passing this year.

"Probably many of them won't be viable this session because of the economy," said Sen. Richard Stevens, a Raleigh Republican.

Charlotte Democrat Becky Carney agreed: "It's going to take a real learning curve for the general public and the General Assembly."

Carney also said if tolls are considered they should be possible on any interstate.

Vehicle miles tax idea advances

markjohnson — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:35:48 -0500

A special transportation committee gingerly stepped closer to proposing a tax on the miles a vehicle travels -- an odometer tax, you might say.

A subcommittee of the 21st Century Transportation Committee agreed this morning to have the full committee vote on a vehicle miles tax as one of several recommendations for raising transportation money. The committee is charged with finding new ways to pay for the state's growing road and travel needs as current revenue sources flatline or drop. The committee's vote this afternoon is expected to send the package of proposals to the legislature.

The vehicle miles tax likely will promote the most contentious debate, as it would charge car and truck owners based on their odometer readings at annual inspections.

Several subcommittee members, including legislators, questioned aspects of the tax that led to softening the language. The proposal will now say that the legislature should consider finding a replacement for the gas tax and consider the vehicle miles tax as an alternative without specifying a rate.

The material presented at the meeting, though, offered an example of a 1/4-cent or 1/2-cent per mile tax. That would cost a car owner $25 or $50 respectively for 10,000 miles of travel. Drivers on average put about 12,000 miles on a car per year, according to federal data.

Other proposals included raising the highway use tax charged on car sales, increasing registration fees, tolls on I-95 and I-77 and bonds.

State of roads in N.C.

mtomsic — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:30:18 -0400

State Rep. Bill McGee said an increase in funding for transportation is needed.

"I don't think it's any doubt that if more funding were available it would be put to good and immediate use," McGee said.

McGee is a member of the 21st Century Transportation Committee. The committee is studying the infrastructure needs of the state.

Projects in Forsyth County, the district McGee represents, have been delayed year after year because of low funds, he said.

The Department of Transportation also needs to finish the major roads across the state, which would relieve traffic congestion and tie-ups, he added.

"I think that's something that needs immediate attention," McGee said.

Orr: Obey public records laws

ryanteaguebeckwith — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:27:44 -0400

Bob Orr sounded briefly like the attorney for the N.C. Press Association.

At a debate at UNC-Charlotte Saturday, the Republican gubernatorial candidate argued that Gov. Mike Easley and his successors should follow the state's public records laws.

Orr, a former Supreme Court justice, noted recent news reports that the governor's staff may have ordered public affairs directors to delete their e-mails, a violation of the records law.

He also attacked a recent meeting of the 21st Century Transportation Committee which was held on Figure Eight Island without press access.

"If we're truly going to have openness, it has to begin at the top," he said. "It has to begin with the governor. The governor has to be committed to obeying the open meeting laws, the public records law, of being able to fight for openness."

Orr said that public agencies should pay attorney's fees when they have been found by a judge to have improperly withheld public records.

On the ballot: $2b road bond?

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:16:44 -0500

Legislators and voters might be asked to approve a $2 billion road bond on the November ballot.

Brad Wilson of Raleigh, who heads a statewide transportation study group that will make recommendations in May, said he hopes the fall ballot will include a major referendum.

"To really make an impact on the highway infrastructure, that bond [issue has] got to be of a certain magnitude -- or it's really not worth doing," he said Thursday.

Wilson heads the 24-member 21st Century Transportation Committee, a group of civic, business and political leaders. He also predicted the committee would ask legislators to stop the transfer of $172 millino from the Highway Trust Fund to the general fund. (N&O)

Board to meet at home

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 09:24:13 -0500

A high-profile panel on transportation was scheduled to meet last night at the home of a member.

The dinner, featuring a catered buffet and a flamenco band, was to be held on private Figure Eight Island near Wilmington.

It was not open to the public because of an exception in the Open Meetings Law that allows government bodies to have a "social meeting" where no business is discussed.

"We're not having a meeting. We're having dinner," said Brad Wilson, chair of the 21st Century Transportation Committee. "It's a social event."

But First Amendment lawyer Hugh Stevens said the loophole means the public has only the word of the officials to rely on.

"It invites people to skirt the law, even though they'll be well-meaning and well-intentioned," he said. (Char-O)