Steve Burns
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON – (WMAL) The next stop on Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld’s region-wide legislature tour brings him just down the street from Metro Headquarters today to the Wilson Building, home of the D.C. Council, as he pushes for an overhaul of Metro’s funding.
Wiedefeld is set to brief the Finance and Revenue Committee, chaired by Jack Evans, who also serves as the Chairman of Metro’s Board of Directors. Metro is seeking a reliable stream of money from the jurisdictions that fund it, instead of going hat-in-hand to each legislature every year. The goal, Evans has said, is to raise an additional $500 million per year, enabling Metro to borrow $15 billion. Wiedefeld, Evans said, will spell out how the money will be spent.
D.C. is still pursuing a .75 percent sales tax as its preferred way to fund Metro. It was originally proposed as a region-wide solution, but Maryland and Virginia have since moved in other directions. Most notably, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has described the tax multiple times as a “regressive” tax on “poor people.”
Evans did not dispute that characterization, but stood behind the tax nonetheless.
“He’s not wrong on that, but the sales tax is the easiest tax to implement, the fairest tax,” he said.
Evans said the District would raise a sufficient amount of money if it forged ahead alone on the sales tax. Maryland has weighed dipping into its transportation trust fund, and former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe proposed raising money through a combination of taxes on Northern Virginia before he left office. His plan is likely to see some changes.
Evans called it an “absolutely historic moment for the region” as all three legislatures plus Congress debate giving Metro more money. However, Evans said he has heard the calls for more reforms and transparency to come with expanded funding.
“Too many people ask me, ‘$15 billion? What do you need that for?’ Actually, we can identify how we can spend every dollar,” he said.
He noted his board probably could not be trusted with that money just a few years ago, but the group has since changed its ways.
“It’s just a vastly different organization with great leadership and a great board,” he said. “Now is the time to act.”
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