Published: November 07, 2009 09:54 pm      

Can’t be ignored

Transportation funding has to remain a top priority

In the works for at least a month, a conference scheduled for Tuesday in Beckley has suddenly taken on added importance.

West Virginians for Better Transportation is holding the special conference to discuss highway needs in the state and, more importantly, how to pay for them. Scheduled speakers include Rep. Nick Rahall, Gov. Joe Manchin, state Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox and two legislative leaders, Senate Finance Chairman Walt Helmick and House Finance Chairman Harry Keith White.

The conference comes on the heels of last week’s announcement that the state road fund finds itself nearly $11 million below the projected take in the privilege tax imposed on the sales of new vehicles. Revenues from the gasoline tax, which go into the road fund, have also begun to shrink.

Joe Deneault, chairman of West Virginians for Better Transportation, said he would like to see Tuesday’s speakers propose ideas for finding new sources of revenue to finance both road construction and maintenance, which affect people throughout the state.

“Hopefully, the administration and the legislators can get together and decide how they’re going to deal with the problem,” he said. “It’s almost like things are coming together as a climax. We’re having our conference, and all the issues surrounding the highway department’s budget this year are surfacing about the same time again.”

And as if the problems in the road fund weren’t enough, overall revenue was $16 million below projections for the first four months of the fiscal year, which translates into a $100 million shortfall by next June 30.

All of which means some tough decisions face the Manchin administration, as well as the Legislature when the 2010 regular session convenes in January.

But while some cuts here and others there can alleviate the overall shortfall, the state cannot afford to scale back on major highway needs.

A progressive and well-maintained highway system not only provides for the safety of motorists, it paves the way for economic growth and jobs.

As West Virginia joins the rest of the country in climbing out of the recession, what is already an uphill battle cannot become steeper due to unmet highway needs.

Tuesday’s conference is the perfect time to not only discuss those needs but explore all options for meeting them.

And it must not stop there. It must be a top priority for the executive and legislative branches in the months ahead.