Taxes, schools and transportation were on the minds of those listening to Tim Hugo speak, Monday evening, so those were the issues the 40th District delegate tackled.
Hugo was addressing the quarterly meeting of the West Fairfax County Citizens Association (WFCCA). He first discussed some of the transportation projects affecting the local area and then answered questions from the audience. He also shared a hard lesson he learned during the last session of the General Assembly — his first as a delegate.
"Going to Richmond, I knew they didn't like Northern Virginia, but I didn't realize how much they hated Fairfax County," he said. At one point, said Hugo, he and Del. David Albo (R-42nd) put in a bill requesting a larger share of the monetary pie for this county. "We got creamed on it," he said, noting that the only votes in favor of the proposal came from Northern Virginia.
HUGO SAID he readily calls on his experience with transportation matters on a national level to help find solutions for the area's local transportation problems. (From 1996-99, he was chief of staff to the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He also worked with transportation issues as legislative director for a Seattle congresswoman).
Therefore, he said, he wasn't bashful about talking to Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-10th) about the Manassas National Battlefield Bypass proposals — which initially suggested a possible route slamming through Fairfax National Estates. (After his and others' objections, that route was deleted). "I think it'll be tough to build it," said Hugo. "I don't think the money's going to be there."
Expressing concern about the planned Tri-County Connector, designed to link Prince William, Fairfax and Loudoun counties, he said, "People have established neighborhoods [in the roadway earmarked to cut through Centreville]. We have to be careful how [this road and the Battlefield Bypass] — affect their qualities of life."
Hugo said he discussed the Tri-County Connector with Gov. Mark Warner and it was removed from the state's six-year transportation plan — for now. "I'm Republican, but I try to reach out to both sides and work with everybody," said Hugo, saying he'll continue working in a bipartisan manner "to help with our transportation problems."
On another topic, Sully Station's Gil Kesser asked, "What are the chances of success of a revision to the state tax code?"
"I respect Mark Warner — I think he's a good guy," answered Hugo. "[But if he wants to get it done in this General Assembly session, I think he's waiting too long to tell what he wants [to do about it]. If he didn't reveal it until after the November election, it would be difficult to get it passed in the January session."
HUGO'S MET with business groups about this idea and says "they're for it, as long as it doesn't affect their sector of business." While agreeing that "tax reform is overdue," he also expects fireworks whenever details about a possible tax revision are released.
"I think, once the tax-reform [plan] is revealed, it'll be a terribly contentious fight because somebody's ox is gonna get gored," said Hugo. "I'd expect a three-to-five-week special session, in April-May or next summer, to get it done."
If localities, such as Fairfax County, are given the opportunity to raise their own money, he said, it'll be part of a whole package. "I've heard a rumor that the governor's raising money to lead a special fight about it in the spring," said Hugo. "To get passed, it has to be overall revenue-neutral [not raising taxes], or it'll fall of its own weight."
Virginia Run's Ted Troscianecki asked, "What new initiatives are there, relative to [providing incentives to] the federal government and businesses to look at [teleworking] seriously?"
Hugo said Wolf "put in a federal-government provision" that the number of telecommuting employees should be increased, and he agrees. As executive director of CapNet, a national technology association with a regional core, Hugo encourages his employees to telework. But, he added, resistance to it is a "generational management problem within federal government and private industry."
Therefore, he said, "It's going to be upon me, the governor and other elected officials to use the 'bully pulpit' to say, 'Hey, you've gotta do this.' I believe in this; I'd like to work with the governor to do anything we can to push it. I don't think there are any new ideas [currently], but I'll be looking for them."
WHEN TROSCIANECKI then mentioned the federal Clean-Air mandates that the Washington Metropolitan area has to meet, Hugo said telework is "part of the answer." Stephen Vandivere of Cabell's Mill said what's needed is "a study of firms who do it and how much their productivity has increased," as a result. Then, he said, this information must somehow "get into the minds of managers."
"I'm with you," said Hugo. "I read a George Mason University study saying that, if we could reduce the number of cars [on the road] by 3 percent, we could reduce pollution by 10 percent."
On yet another topic, Mark McConn of Bull Run Estates was concerned about the local schools. "I'm worried that, with a 5-percent cap on real-estate tax [increases], our schoolkids will get shortchanged — especially since we keep getting less money from the federal government," he said.
Hugo noted that state funding of schools went up this year by $93 million. And he said he's worked closely with the teachers' association to make sure the local school system isn't bogged down by too many mandates.
"The state's got to look at the [local] impact of a 5-percent cap," added McConn. "It could hurt real-estate values and the county, in the long run, and [result in] 30 or more kids in a classroom because of less funding for our school system."
Pleasant Valley's Lynn Terhar, an at-large candidate for the county School Board, said the state Board of Education recommended changes to the Standards of Quality to include funding for art, music and P.E. teachers and the reduction of class sizes — phased over four years. "It would cost $323 million," she said. "Can you comment on this, in a tight budget year?"
Hugo replied that, if the state budget calls for a cut in education funding, he'll vote against the budget. "I've always believed that, you beat your head against the wall, eventually the wall will break," he said. "So we just have to keep pounding away [to get Northern Virginia's fair share]."
Meanwhile, he said, "I'll keep trying to build bridges. "Roads and education aren't Democratic or Republican — they're assets for everyone."