CHARLESTON – Randy’s Dream took a small step toward Randy’s Reality Thursday morning when Senate Transportation and Infrastructure began work on SB 522, to create the Special Road Repair Fund.
In mid-January, Sen. Randy Smith, R-Tucker, triggered a bit of an avalanche when he stood up on the Senate floor and announced his response to Jim’s Dream, the governor’s proposed addiction and treatment program.
“My dream is, fix the darn roads,” he said then.
That triggered the avalanche of calls and emails and support from legislators at both ends of the Capitol. And it sparked SB 522, sponsored by Smith with support from seven senators of both parties.
The Randy’s Dream bill creates the Special Road Repair Fund from two sources. It makes a one-time, $200 million draw from the Rainy Day Fund. And it would devote 2 percent of the state severance taxes collected on coal, oil, gas and other products to the fund. (The tax is 5 percent, so this bill would leave 3 percent for the General Fund, where it all goes now.)
The money would be used for road maintenance, particularly core maintenance: ditching, mowing and snow and ice removal.
Each Division of Highways district would be required to develop a maintenance plan and complete 90 percent of its maintenance projects. If it falls short, the district would have to solicit bids for outside contractors to conduct the work.
The state Tax Department estimates that the diversion of two-fifths of severance tax revenue into the new fund would produce $9.5 million to $10 million per year for the fund.
Smith, who doesn’t serve on the committee, appeared and talked with member Sen. Bob Beach, D-Monongalia, about the poor road conditions that may have contributed to a school bus crash that injured four students last week.
Smith said that wet roads from lack of ditching are a danger across the state.
“This is sort of a radical approach to it. A lot of, I’m sure, won’t fly, but I just wanted to bring attention to it.”
He traveled along 40 secondary roads in Monongalia and Preston counties last week and saw extensive damage from lack of ditching.
“It’s an emergency in our state right now. It’s killing our tourism,” he said. He mentioned one Preston cabin rental business that told him some customers won’t return until the roads are better. “We’re going to have to get aggressive, we’re going to have to get radical and get serious about this.”
Several DOH officials also addressed the committee.
State Highway Engineer Aaron Gillispie told the members that ditching is on a three-year cycle, which doesn’t help the problem.
Beach raised the issue of labor shortages, which would be an obstacle even if DOH had more maintenance money.
Drema Smith, in Human Resources, said it can take three weeks to hire someone because of the drawn-out process required by the Division of Personnel. Once someone applies, they have to be vetted and be placed on the state civil service register, processed and approved through the OASIS system.
“Unfortunately, some of these people do have jobs before we get though the entire process,” she said. But DOH has a new human resources director who is gathering recommendations on streamlining hiring to present to Transportation Secretary Tom Smith.
Beach said if legislation is needed and it requires a special session, let them know so the two Transportation chairs can urge the governor to call one.
Meeting time ran out while DOH officials were answering questions, so committee chair Charles Clements placed SB 522 on an agenda for a Friday morning meeting.
Local Powers Act
In other business, the committee also approved — for the fourth time in four years — the County Local Powers Act. This year’s bill number is SB 31. Last year it was SB 295, and was SB 210 the year before that. Every year it clears the Senate and dies in the House.
The County Local Powers Act proposes to allow counties to use the money available from “Cracker Bill” development for infrastructure projects. The Cracker Bill sets up a 5-for-10 plan: for 10 years, an industrial development – new or upgraded, worth at least $50 million – is assessed property taxes at salvage value, which is 5 percent of the total value.
SB 31 would allow counties to set aside all of the money that becomes available after the 10th year into a County Road and Infrastructure Improvement Account to pay for approved projects. It originated in Marshall County, where the vision is to extend I-68 from Morgantown into Marshall and then to Ohio.
SB 31 heads to Finance.
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