Breakfast links: Budget day

by David Alpert • May 26, 2010 9:07 am

Photo by poolie on Flickr.

Soda, maybe; meters, no: The DC Council will make final budget decisions today. Current drafts do tax soda, but just by extending existing sales taxes to soda (which are currently exempt as food). (Post) ... The budget won't raise meter rates to $3 an hour (which I opposed). Alan Suderman writes another lazy article by only interviewing (you guessed it) AAA. (Examiner)

Commuter tax? Just for government work: Councilmember Thomas wants to amend the District's charter to create a commuter tax. But it wouldn't tax all out of state income, like other states do; it would only apply to DC government workers who live outside the District. (Washington Times)

How high will your fare be?: The Post created a calculator to compute what your Metrorail fare might become under the most likely fare increase proposals to be considered tomorrow. (Michael P.)

11th-hour transit operating aid?: 8 Senate Democrats introduced a bill to give $2 billion in operating aid to transit agencies. It would need to pass as part of an emergency measure and then get the funds actually appropriated before anything changes. If it did pass, it could stave off WMATA fare hikes. (Streetsblog, Examiner)

Parking cap for BRAC?: Rep. Jim Moran has proposed amendment to the defense spending bill to cap parking at the Mark Center to 1,000 cars. BRAC moves from Crystal City to the Mark Center would have to wait until the military implements its TDM programs or otherwise reduces traffic impacts. (Post, Joey)

I-66 getting slightly wider: VDOT has approved contracts for the first new merge lane on I-66 in Arlington. Reporter Kali Schumitz does a a nice job getting balance by interviewing Stewart Schwartz of CSG about why widening I-66 is not the way to relieve congestion while also quoting Virginia road booster Bob Chase. (Fairfax Times)

Shoup@NBM again: Professor Donald Shoup will be speaking at the National Building Museum tomorrow evening. Tickets are $20 ($12 for members), free for students.

Why Smart Growth is smart: CSG's Stewart Schwartz explains how transportation-efficient developments are more affordable and sustainable than sprawl. (WBJ)

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15 comments

Tags: AAA, Alexandria, Arlington, BRAC, budget, commuter tax, Congress, DC, DC Council, Donald Shoup, events, fares, Harry Thomas Jr, I-66, Jim Moran, links, meter rates, operating aid, parking, public health, roads, Smart Growth, soda tax, taxes, transit, VDOT, Virginia, WMATA, WMATA budget

David Alpert is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Greater Greater Washington. He has had a lifelong interest in great cities and great communities. He worked as a Product Manager for Google for six years and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He loves the area which is, in many ways, greater than those others, and wants to see it become even greater.

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Hard to see how any kind of commuter tax will ever pass since it requires congressional amendment of the DC Home Rule charter and the MD and VA delegations have been rather blunt that they'll never agree to such a tax. Seems like nothing more than faux populist theatrics by Harry Thomas.

by Fritz on May 26, 2010 9:42 am

I've never understood why 66 westbound past Ballston gets jammed up. Really stupid drivers who can't merge is the only answer. I think widening 66 is stupid. But the CSG solutions (HOV contraflow or HOV 3) aren't going to help either. The real issue on 66 right now is before the HOV restrictions kick in.

Btween the widening, Silver line work, lexus lanes on the beltway, and the new law that puts cameras to make sure you actually use the airport on the Dulles expressway, life for drivers in Arlington is going to be painful for a few year.

Also confused by the math on the budget. They still think they can get 6 million for the healthy school item based on extending sales tax? That was the estimate for Cheh's sugar tax as well? And does it have the same problem as the original proposal (i.e. does it tax starbucks based on whether sugar is added by the customer or the barrista?)

I wish DC would exempt fast food sales under $10 from the restaurant tax. I paid way too much tax for a slice of pizza yesterday. Would really help the working man....

by charlie on May 26, 2010 9:46 am

Nice idea DC, to punish your own employees for not living in the District. Gotta love your bosses.

DC will never get an effective commuter tax. The Feds won't allow it. VA and MD won't allow it. And quite a few of DC's largest private employers (mostly academia) already have campuses outside of the District.

I can also guarantee that the second I will have to pay a DC commuter tax, my formal office will be moved to the VA campus. This will work the same way that car dealers can sell cars with the sales tax of the jurisdiction of the buyer, regardless of the jurisdiction of the dealer.

So in short: Yes, DC gets short-changed. Yes, it's unfair. But no, you won't get a commuter tax. Stop beating this dead horse.

by Jasper on May 26, 2010 9:55 am

mmmm cream soda....

by JessMan on May 26, 2010 10:13 am

Don't most cities require residency for government employees? As in, if you're not a resident when you're hired, you have to relocate into the jurisdiction within 90 days. DC could just require residency instead of imposing a "commuter tax".

Looking forward to hearing Donald Shoup tomorrow!

by Matthias on May 26, 2010 10:16 am

@Jasper:

So in short: Yes, DC gets short-changed. Yes, it's unfair. But no, you won't get a commuter tax. Stop beating this dead horse.

What Jasper said. Let's stop this feckless grandstanding, and just go ahead and put speed cameras on every block, set them to trigger at 5 mph over the limit, and watch the money roll in.

by oboe on May 26, 2010 10:31 am

As a Arlington resident, I actually welcome the third lane between Fairfax and Sycamore (WB.) I typically use the Glebe Rd exit and it seems at most hours, whether day, night, weekday or weekend, 66 gets backed up right before Glebe Rd. For many Arlington residents this will move the logjam further west towards FFX county, although, I will note that the whole backup will still be located in Arlington County.

by Mike on May 26, 2010 11:20 am

This may be the first time I've ever said this, but the Harry Thomas plan is not a bad one. Without getting into the whole "this will never work, D.C. gets shortchanged" and "Thomas is a hack" (both of which may be true), I'll just note how disappointing it is to walk past the Cleveland Park firehouse every day and see the $100,000+ Mercedes and a handful of other high-end cars with Maryland tags parked on the sidewalk.

Not only do the purchasing habits of this small sample size of public servants blow the "poor District employees have been priced out of the city" claims out of the water, but their general cat-calling, littering, and disrespectful behavior make me think that perhaps we could find better employees.

If the District's tens of thousands in salary is good enough for them, then the District should be good enough for them to live in. Perhaps if they had a real investment in the city, they (and all the other District employees who shirk their responsibilities) would work harder and make this a better place.

Short of that, they should be taxed.

by CP on May 26, 2010 11:39 am

So if the wife works for Arlington government and the husband works for DC government, one of them has to lose their job? Or live on a houseboat in the Potomac? Or maybe the family can move every 90 days from one jurisdiction to another. Whatever they do they should make sure labor can't enjoy the mobility implied within capitalism and the Consitution. Feudal states and captive labor pools really ARE better.

by crin on May 26, 2010 12:27 pm

As an Arlington commuter who uses I-66 WB every morning, I wholly support another lane between Fairfax Drive and Sycamore street (I'd say put one from out from the river but there is that tunnel). When all three lanes between Sycamore and 267 are in operation, its amazing how the traffic suddenly jumps from a crawl from Fairfax to Sycamore to the speed limit at Sycamore.

by ksu499 on May 26, 2010 1:25 pm

So many cars get on and off I-66 at Ballston that it warrants an extra 'extended' on-off ramp between the Fairfax Dr exit and the Toll Road each direction. 2 lanes into the city is fine in my book, no need to expand that part, not that it would be easy at all to do that stretch.

by NikolasM on May 26, 2010 1:32 pm

Thanks, Congressman Moran. I sure wish you would have voiced your opposition to the BRAC plans when members of the community were imploring you to get involved almost 2 years ago. Now the land at Mark Center is already half way developed. We all know this is just posturing to let members of the community "think" you are trying to do something. (Even if this goes through, which it won't, workers will just park on side streets - that will be great for residents.) Futhermore, we also know that the BRAC project is signed, sealed, and delivered, regardless of any future traffic mitigation plans. Finally, thank you City of Alexandria for tacitly approving the plan without thinking about the traffic consequences. If you thought traffic around Seminary Rd was bad now, just wait.

by Traffic Lover on May 26, 2010 1:36 pm

CP, Exactly my sentiments.
Jason, Thomas's plan would be applien to employees "of" DC... not all employees "in" DC. Big difference.

by keith on May 26, 2010 2:20 pm

I think improving the merge situation on westbound 66 is worthwhile (much cheaper than adding full lanes, while still doing something to address the traffic issues). Aggressive traffic merging onto 66 currently kills traffic flow in the evenings that direction.

HOV in both directions? Perhaps eastbound, but westbound in the mornings seems to flow fairly well at least on the days I travel through there.

by OddNumber on May 27, 2010 10:24 am

With the thin slice of grass next to the metro tracks, and the embankment on the outside portion of 66, the road could easily be widened to 3 lanes in each direction from the Rosslyn tunnel to the beltway. Of course, I'm not sure people want to hear what I think would be the best idea for 66. Double deck it. Im being completely serious. Have a look at this highway in Thailand,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bang_Na_Expressway
Simply lower the height slightly and make the supports split legged rather then single legged and the I-66 traffic woes are fixed for good.

by B on May 27, 2010 11:57 am