Steve Burns
WMAL.com

RICHMOND – (WMAL) A political wish that had long been seen as a pipe dream now appears close to reality, as Virginia’s General Assembly passed a bill allocating money to Metro on a yearly basis, joining lawmakers in Maryland and the District that look poised to do the same. The dedicated money greatly expands Metro’s borrowing capabilities, the agency says, allowing much-needed repairs and improvements to continue.

“This is going to provide funding that’ll give us a safe and sustainable Metro, but of equal importance, this bill provides reforms,” the bill’s chief sponsor in the House, Del. Tim Hugo (R-Fairfax) told WMAL.

Virginia’s bill does not include any tax increases, and instead gets $153 million per year out of other funds, including money that would otherwise go to the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission for transportation improvements elsewhere in the region.

“There was a push to include taxes in my bill, and I said ‘no new taxes,'” Hugo said. “What we’ve done is we’ve said we’re going to live within our means, and we’ve redirected monies that have gone to other things in Northern Virginia, and redirected it to Metro.”

Reaction was swift from some local lawmakers, who were unhappy that a fund they use for road improvements had been pillaged. Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart, also a candidate for U.S. Senate, made his feelings clear on Twitter:

VA House of Delegates screws Virginia commuters. Throws Virginians under the bus. @GovernorVA @SpeakerCox #MAGA https://t.co/tQQ5DLNXFP

— Corey Stewart (@CoreyStewartVA) March 10, 2018

Loudoun County Supervisor Ron Meyer weighted in as well:

Only the most radical on the left say they want to defund roads and give that money to transit — but this bill, led by Republican majorities, does just that. Disappointing… https://t.co/5WNNeSvI0u

— Ron Meyer (@Ron4VA) March 11, 2018

State Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria), a sponsor of the bill in the Senate, said there may be more money for roads down the line.

“We’ve put a lot of money into road projects into recent years, a lot more than we used to,” he said. “We see this need at Metro being very great. Metro benefits the whole region.”

The bill also requires some fiscal constraints of Metro. Should Metro’s budget request increase more than three percent year over year, Virginia’s money would be cut by 35 percent.

“Metro has been plagued by cost overruns and fiscal irresponsibility over the last decade,” Hugo said. “This bill also aims to make sure that that fiscal irresponsibility ends.”

The legislation also contains an attempt to streamline Metro’s convoluted governing structure by disallowing alternate members of the Board of Directors from participating in meetings. Currently, each jurisdiction – Maryland, Virginia, the District, and the federal government – is represented by four members on the board, two of which are alternates. Those alternates currently can participate in meetings and hold chairmanships in committees.

“It makes it a more manageable board size with board members who are consistently the ones who are voting for their jurisdictions,” Ebbin said. “We don’t need it to be an unwieldy, large body.”

The move represents a concession of sorts, after regional leaders had coalesced around the idea last year of jettisoning the board as a whole, and replacing it with a so-called Reform Board. Ebbin said lawmakers came to the conclusion that implementing a new board would require reopening Metro’s founding document. Any changes require approval on exact wording from Annapolis, Richmond, the District, and Capitol Hill, a process many believe would be a years-long endeavor.

Virginia’s bill is contingent upon Maryland and the District each contributing their shares of funding. Committees in Maryland’s House of Delegates passed its version of dedicated funding last week, backed by Republican Governor Larry Hogan. Concessions and compromises abounded in Annapolis as well. Hogan had earlier pledged to support more money to Metro only if the federal government contributed as well. Bills to increase that subsidy have seen little action on Capitol Hill.

District lawmakers have said they will act on dedicated funding following the state legislatures. Unlike both General Assemblies, the D.C. Council meets year-round.

Lawmakers agree that Metro had its problems, but the leadership can be trusted to spend the new money responsibly.

“I’m confident that we’re on the road to an improved Metro with this bill, and the current management at Metro,” Ebbin said.

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