Martino finds hope amid transit funding crisis

There is hope for Prince William County’s bus system.

County officials said it can fund the $9.2 million budget shortfall looming over the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC) in fiscal year 2017, that begins July 1.

Prince William Acting County Executive Christopher Martino proposed using half of a $12 million of a pot of state money given to the county from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) for local road construction projects, to fund Virginia Railway Express.

That would leave the full pot of revenues generated in Prince William County by the state’s motor fuels tax solely for PRTC.

The commuter bus agency will continue to face a $10.5 million budget shortfall ($2.1 million each year between 2018 and 2022). The county stopped providing motor fuels tax general funding to PRTC in 2008, and the agency was forced to rely on a fuels tax reserve fund that built up when fuel prices were sky high.

With gas prices lower now and revenues from the tax falling, PRTC hopes state officials will establish as funding floor that would ensure regional fuels tax funding for the system at 2013 tax levels, no matter how far fuel prices dip. PRTC officials seem cautiously optimistic about this latest move to fund the bus system. 

“We’re grateful the County strongly signaled how important PRTC’s services are to the community; that said, what was presented is a proposed budget and it’s only the beginning of the process,” said PRTC Interim Director Eric Marx. “We look forward to continuing to work with the Board and with our friends in Richmond to ensure multi-year stable funding for PRTC.”

PRTC will also raise fares by 5 percent, and will cut some services. If Prince William County officials decide not to fill PRTC’s budget gap with local money and instead wait for state officials to step up, the transit agency could face drastic “doomsday” changes, and could stop service on local routes and instead only ferry riders to Metro stations.

Using NVTA money for local road projects would cut Prince William County’s road building program in half, to the tune of $35 million over the next five years.

Construction of the following projects could be stalled the move: 

• – Wellington Road
• – Neabsco Mills Road
• – University Blvd
• – Balls Ford Road
• – Van Buren Drive

The county was the first in the commonwealth to have such an expensive road-building effort, with Prince William Parkway being one of the first roadways funded and constructed by the county without state help.

More recently, the widening of Route 1 in Triangle and Woodbridge, from Neabsco Creek to Featherstone Road are examples of county-bonded road improvement projects.

PRTC and VRE compete for funding from Prince William County’s motor fuels tax revenues each year. The county is the largest user of the train and bus system and provided $5.3 million and $12.3 $15.7 million to each, respectively, in 2015.

“With $6 million, and with or without the state motor fuels tax floor, and with fare increases, [PRTC] can survive,” said Martino.

It’s uncertain if PRTC will get full funding next year. Martino’s budget is based on a 3.88% increase in the residential tax bill, something the Board of Supervisors agreed upon in its five-year-plan.

The Board will meet again at 7:30 p.m. February 23 to advertise a tax rate in which to build a budget around. Once set, the tax rate cannot be raised but can be lowered before the final passage of the budget in April.

“It could be higher, it could be lower, but [the budget] will be substantially different than what you see here,” said Prince William Board of Supervisors Chairman At-large Corey Stewart.