Dan Genz, The Examiner
2008-05-13 07:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

WASHINGTON -

The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, bereft of its tax-setting powers, will continue to determine which projects to fund with the more than $300 million in regional sales taxes Gov. Tim Kaine proposed Monday.

“If this is approved, basically we’re back in business and we could get back to work without losing much time,” said Chris Zimmerman, NVTA chairman and an Arlington County Board member. “It is the type of serious funding we’ve needed to seriously tackle our critical transportation needs.”

The NVTA will not have the power to set taxes, avoiding the constitutional pitfall that derailed the previous system in a February Virginia Supreme Court ruling.

The NVTA has approved dozens of transportation projects, including renovations at Metro stations, improvements on a host of regional roads and a $36 million trolley system in Arlington, but lost its power to fund them when the Virginia Supreme Court ruled the authority had no power to levy the seven taxes and fees.

The authority expects to receive $1 million for administrative expenses, which will help address its nearly $700,000 debt, including about $364,000 in legal bills.

“My discussion with the legislators there suggest the NVTA has been in existence long enough that people have some confidence in the way they pick projects and their ability to manage this,” Kaine said.

Staff writer William C. Flook contributed to this story.