FINAL THOUGHTS

I was recently asked due to the failure of the service fee “why I persisted to talk about the issue?” Politically speaking would it not be better to let the issue just die? Some political pundits might agree with the individual, however, the answer is not so simple. We still idle in traffic, we are overwhelmed by commuter traffic and pollution…so why should I as an elected official turn my back on the problem?

Yes, to ignore the problem until after Election Day may be the safer path to choose, but is that the right course for Monongalia County. The sole purpose for this blog page was to allow residents the opportunity to voice their ideas and a handful has stepped up to discuss and share publically their concerns for the community, regarding roads and methods to fund our local needs.

As for me I have proposed one idea within these few pages, while I am not surprised those who oppose any change would be the majority of respondents to the blog, I am however, surprised that this same majority offered few suggestions to dig ourselves out of this quagmire.

In all fairness, not everyone wanted me to post their comments, and for those who thought I would not post their comments in fear I would look bad…you were obviously wrong.

Regarding the service fee, a friend of mine from Texas who follows local Monongalia County politics and this blog finds it odd that a minority of Monongalia residents would complain about a referendum vote in which the voters had the choice to determine the outcome of the issue. I too, share this thought; when the decision could just as easily have been left up to the legislature to initiate service fee without voter input.

I have said this before and perhaps it needs to be revisited, but sometimes legislators do not have a complete or comfortable feel for what their constituents are thinking on a particular issue. Any legislator that would oppose a referendum legislation which could prevent the voter from voicing his or her opinion on an issue should be questioned. I myself have voted in favor of 4 local referendum pieces of legislation in the past 8 years…legislation which allowed voters to determine the outcome.

Now allow me to climb down off my soap box to speak to any proposed legislation. First, this blog site allowed me to gather useful information and secondly, flush out any problems I had in my own proposal.

My conclusions are as followed.

Several times it was suggested that a fee be placed on WVU students and out of state employees. While both ideas may have merit it still falls far short of the needed appropriations. The idea of personal property fee is nothing new, we presently pay personal property taxes, yet not in the form of levies as proposed; again this would be a voter determination, as was the service fee.

While many ideas were offered and most were “let the other guy pay perspective”; after careful consideration I choose to believe we must carefully step back and take small steps beginning with the development of a Road Board Authority(RBA). The RBA would be similar in nature to the present School Board Authority, with a board of directors who would determine which Counties would receive funding. Applications to the RBA would include proposals, feasibility studies, and engineering plans before a project would be considered. Presently, 36 of 55 counties have requested road appropriations and all 55 counties have requested feasibility studies…again taxing the resources of our state budget even further. If counties are asked to pay for their own studies and engineering plans may of those counties which are looking for road funds would fall by the wayside, thus allowing true projects to rise to the top.

In addition, monies for all road projects would be funded through general revenues of which the legislature would appropriate $100 million in its first year and as needed in subsequent years. This would have one significant benefit... allowing present gas tax and license fees to be used exclusively for the maintenance of our 36,000 road miles and bridges across the state.

As always I look forward to your comments.

Respectfully,

Robert “Bob” Beach
WV House of Delegates