Continuing on today?s transit theme, there?s an interesting quote in a Greensboro News & Record story today that speaks to an issue we are likely to see play out in the General Assembly in 2005: a push for new taxing authority at the local level to pay for roads and transit lines. The matter came up during a meeting in the Triad of a statewide commission on transportation needs:
Rep. Drew Saunders, who chairs the commission, said he hopes the needs of the urban areas of the state can be addressed with current resources. But the state and its cities may need to look at finding additional funding for transportation and that may include new local taxes, said Saunders. “There seems to be a willingness for new local fees or taxes,” he said.
A willingness on the part of whom?