Well, the Supreme Court has killed off NVTA. The money for transit infrastructure is severely reduced. I admit that the concept of allowing a region to tax itself to provide for localized needs doesn’t really bother me. However, I also see the point about having an unelected body directing and collecting taxes and you can’t have the NVTA without both sides. For my part as a local elected guy, I can only work with what the General Assembly gives me and, so as long as we had some revenue to build badly needed infrastructure, I was happy.

The NVTA was, from the get-go, a bit of an dogs’ breakfast with a hodgepodge of local, regional and state fees. Many saw the NVTA as a convoluted way for the General Assembly to dodge having to raise taxes. In a Dillon-rule state (such as Virginia) where the locals can’t do anything unless the General Assembly approves it first, this perception of the NVTA probably has some merit but isn’t very important to me or the people sitting in traffic jams.

The bottom line is that this problem is not going to go away and the GA needs to do something. Many of our local representatives campaigned on having delivered, with the NVTA, a solution for our transportation problems. I would urge them to show us that delivering solutions for their long-suffering constituents is still their number one priority. Figure out something, make tough votes if you have to but please deliver a solution for us.

Long article in the MJM this morning about personnel shortages at the fire & rescue squad. It’s a bit sensationalist and seems to suggest we’re more interested in saving a buck than in public safety. Let me make this simple: if we need people for public safety, we will hire them.

Update:  The Council voted (5-1) to move ahead on the initial 7 positions and the balance (8 or so) will be hashed out during the budget process.  Also hashed out during budget will be the personnel and operational concerns that some have expressed.  I don’t regret my vote to move this forward and provide immediate relief but expanding a department as quickly as the Manager proposes clearly requires some additional discussion and planning.