Creating area transit system a taxing job

For Ivy Hinton, who has relied on the Charlottesville Transit System since January when her car broke down, something needs to change in area transit. Her bus, she said, comes once an hour — and it’s almost always late.

“Either I catch the bus an hour earlier or I expect to be very late,” said Hinton, who works for the University of Virginia. “You have to limit your activities because you simply cannot get to them.”

Hinton was one of several residents at a recent joint city-county work session who said a regional transit authority should be established to expand the area’s bus system.

But questions at the heart of the idea remain on whether the state would approve such an authority with the ability to raise its own revenue through taxes or fees for local use.

Charged with shaping a regional transit authority’s composition, legislation for the General Assembly and meeting state officials to test the waters of the upcoming session, a steering committee comprised of local officials was formed at the joint meeting Tuesday morning.

Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris and Councilor Satyendra Huja, Albemarle County Supervisors Dennis S. Rooker and David L. Slutzky, Rebecca White of the University of Virginia’s Department of Parking and Transportation, and Donna Shaunesey of JAUNT were appointed to the steering committee during the session held in the Downtown Mall’s City Space.

After all the nuts and bolts to create a regional transit authority are examined, city and county officials would then act on recommendations made by the working group.

Charlottesville and Albemarle are seeking General Assembly permission to establish a regional transit authority to allow the localities to enact taxes or fees to expand the area bus service. Additionally, the county would have a bigger voice in transit decisions in exchange for carrying a greater financial burden — currently, the local transit system is operated by the city, with the county essentially serving as a paying customer. The system operates within the city about 80 percent of the time, with the rest in Albemarle.

Other potential partners, such as UVa and JAUNT, are being considered as a part of the authority’s structure.

Supervisors and councilors alike expressed major reservations about taxing citizens to fund the bus network’s expansion. A final report done by Vienna-based Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. showed that raising the sales tax 1 percent in 2009 for the Charlottesville-Albemarle area would generate more than $26 million. Expanding the bus system, which includes a range of potential options and systems, could cost anywhere from close to $5 million to $138 million in capital costs.

Rooker said he believes expanding the transit authority into a transportation authority — which could encompass other transportation needs, such as road improvements — would sit better with county residents. Because of Albemarle’s largely rural make-up and subsequent difficult access to buses, Rooker said, it would be difficult to obtain support for a tax increase when all of the collected funds would be used for transit alone.

“We have a lot of transportation needs that aren’t being funded,” Rooker said.

But others, such as Albemarle Supervisor Lind-say G. Dorrier Jr., think a transportation authority is too broad and will ultimately dilute focus on alleviating basic public transit issues. Since the city has already bought into the idea, Dorrier said, “We have a job ahead of us to persuade the county that this is the best option for the future.”

Norris said the transit authority was originally envisioned as “CTS on steroids.”

“What we’re talking about now is a different beast,” he said.

Virginia Del. David Toscano, D-Charlottes-ville, and Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath County, were also present at the work session, and neither concealed the probable difficulties in trying to pass this type of legislation.

“Anything that has to do with a revenue-raising authority is very challenging right now in the General Assembly,” Toscano said. He added that the state is not likely to impose a tax increase on area residents, so that responsibility would rest in the hands of local elected officials — but even then the authority might not be granted.

In any case, Toscano said, all area officials must stand behind the plan for the General Assembly to even think about discussing it. Having a citizen referendum showing support would also make the idea an easier sell.

“Things change,” Toscano said. “But right now, we gotta have unanimity to get things passed.”

Though he said he could not speak for everyone in the General Assembly, Deeds added, “Forming a transit authority just makes sense.”

Area officials also considered a back-up plan in light of the bleak outlook for getting legislation approved this winter.

Slutzky, among others, said he thinks plans for the authority should move forward, regardless of the situation in Richmond. “By not doing a transit authority, we’re imposing a tax burden on our community,” he said.

But a regional transit authority without the backing of state funds could become problematic if the funds don’t show.

“It’s like getting a new toy for Christmas and not having the batteries,” said City Councilor Holly Edwards.