Mannix Porterfield
CHARLESTON — Lawmakers gave themselves an extra two months Wednesday to finish this session — and that, one leader says, might provide enough time to avoid a toll increase on the West Virginia Turnpike.
Rather than adjourn with the traditional “sine die” phrase at midnight Saturday, the Senate adopted a resolution extending the session to June 6.
In reality, Majority Leader Truman Chafin, D-Mingo, pointed out, legislators likely will come back May 26.
The turnpike decidedly is a hot issue with both Chafin and his Republican counterpart, Sen. Don Caruth, R-Mercer, but more importantly, the precarious economic situation is dictating a delay in tidying up the budget.
Chafin reminded fellow senators that Gov. Joe Manchin’s budget, sent upstairs Feb. 11, had to be downscaled recently by $200 million.
Some fear the shortfall could soar as high as $250 million in a few weeks.
“With the tough economic times we’re in, it’s very difficult to put a budget together,” Chafin said in brief floor remarks.
Thus, he said, the game plan is to put the budget off until a clear picture of revenues comes into focus.
“It won’t cost taxpayers any money at all,” he said, noting the Legislature will be in May interims anyway.
“We’ll simply recess until that date.”
Chafin and Caruth, along with other southern lawmakers, have been seeking ways to avoid a fare increase on the turnpike. The turnpike’s governing board meets Monday to presumably take a major stride toward implementing the first enduring fare increase since 1981.
Caruth produced a new idea Wednesday — tapping into the unclaimed property fund for $10 million to make the bond payment for the coming year.
One reason the state Parkways Authority has considered for hiking tolls is the pressure caused by diminished income and the need to satisfy bondholders by July 1 with the annual payment.
“I’d like to take some money, perhaps out of the unclaimed property fund, which is $10 million,” Chafin said.
“That would certainly delay any kind of toll increase. We have a lot of budgetary options now.”
The two Senate leaders scoffed at Manchin’s release of figures showing the turnpike drew down $86.7 million in federal dollars based on its 88 miles of interstate since 1998, but the funds were applied elsewhere.
Manchin suggested southern lawmakers shouldn’t be put out by the revelation since their region benefited from $194 million in various road and economic development projects.
“What did other regions get?” Chafin asked. “Is that a third of what everybody else got? A fifth?”
Caruth characterized Manchin’s remarks about the figures as “a circular argument.”
“All of the areas of the state have gotten money to maintain their roads,” he said.
“It’s clear we’ve gotten zero of the dollars that were committed by the federal government to maintain interstate highways in West Virginia.”
Caruth said he interprets Manchin’s position to mean that a toll increase is inevitable and “whether we’re arguing facts or whether we’re arguing fairness, there doesn’t seem to be anything we can say that seems to dislodge him from that position.”
As director of the authority, Caruth noted, Manchin’s representative conducts authority meetings, and “as we all know, that in most entities, the chairman is the decision-maker.”
“His whole argument is kind of a bait and switch tactic,” Caruth said.
“Instead of talking about the real issue, which is maintenance and repair of the interstate, which is our West Virginia Turnpike, he wants to talk about all the other dollars that repaired our roads in southern West Virginia, which the state is obligated to do anyway. It does in all areas of the state.”
Caruth suggested the governor was skirting the real issue at hand.
“It has nothing to do with turnpike funding, which we should have gotten over the years or we’re entitled to now,” he added.
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mannix@register-herald.com
