Virginia leaders scrambled Friday to recover from a state Supreme Court ruling that left its landmark transportation tax plan "null and void."

Local officials urged state lawmakers not to adjourn without fixing the tax plan that sends $300 million a year to Northern Virginia projects, but Gov. Tim Kaine said the issue is likely to be addressed after the session adjourns March 8, allowing legislators to focus on the state's budget crisis.

"The governor and the General Assembly need to act and they need to act immediately," said Chris Zimmerman, chairman of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority. "This is a problem they can fix. ... Without a fix, NVTA will essentially be out of business."

The Supreme Court's unanimous ruling said the General Assembly unconstitutionally gave the NVTA, a regional panel of appointees and elected leaders, taxing authority last year. The taxes went into effect Jan. 1.

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"If we're going to wrestle with transportation infrastructure, then General Assembly members have to go on the board and vote and not hand the responsibility off to others," Kaine said.

However, Kaine suggested some lawmakers would be reluctant to authorize the taxes requiring the state to look at all options to replace the counted-on revenue.

Northern Virginia leaders indicated little patience for prolonged study or negotiations.

"The bottom line is it must not leave town without acting," Fairfax County Chairman Gerry Connolly said of the General Assembly. "It cannot leave Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads in the lurch without acting."

But Kaine and others stressed an effective solution and the state's budget negotiations should come before speed.

"It would be very hard to wrestle with this over the course of the next week," Kaine said.

dgenz@dcexaminer.com