Ada, N. Idaho split on transportation

Local and state leaders looked to the Ada County vehicle registration fee vote as a bellwether of whether voters were willing, in a rough economy, to pay more money to fix the state's crumbling roads and bridges.

And the measure to double the amount and duration of the fee received a whopping 67 percent approval on Nov. 4 - a clear message on how Ada voters feel about the issue.

But for some of the state leaders who will make transportation and local-tax-authority decisions this winter, the take-away message is not so clear-cut.

The reason: a nearly identical measure in Kootenai County got trounced - a full 76 percent voted no.

"At one end of the state you had an overwhelming success. At the other end of the state you had an overwhelming defeat," House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star, said. He was "pleasantly surprised" by the Ada vote.

"After that measure failed in northern Idaho, several of the legislators there called me and said, 'See, we don't have a problem. We don't want to raise revenues at the state level.'" Moyle said. "And then locally, we had those that said, 'We do have a problem, we do need to raise revenues.'"

The two votes do send one message, he said.

"I think it ties in with the fact that in Idaho we have a real urban-rural split," Moyle said.

Senate Transportation Committee Chairman John McGee, R-Caldwell, thinks the Ada County vote may have an unintended consequence that could intensify the rural-urban divide.

"I am hopeful it is an indication to legislators that there is a clamoring out there that we do something on transportation," McGee said. But "it may send a signal to outlying legislators that this is really a Treasure Valley issue."

At least one person in power is convinced it is a statewide issue and needs a statewide solution: Gov. Butch Otter.

This summer, Otter held transportation conferences around the state to get the public's take on the problem and what to do about it.

"There was overwhelming support for increased funding for roads and bridges. It was a no-brainer," said Otter's special assistant for transportation Clete Edmunson, a former legislator.

Since those meetings, the economy tumbled and the state and the nation have fallen on hard times. Otter is ordering agencies to trim their budgets, but he is still forging ahead with his transportation goals.

"It is irresponsible for leaders to let your infrastructure fall into disrepair," Edmunson said. "The governor is a firm believer that it is still our top priority. We are still moving forward. We are sensitive to the economics of the time and we are working with our legislator friends to come up with a plan that brings that into focus."

The details - which Otter's office won't reveal - probably will not include new or innovative revenue sources like a per-mileage fee or state toll roads.

"Ninety percent of people who submitted ideas said raise the gas tax," Edmunson said.

Otter's likely solution lies within existing fees and taxes, like the fuel tax and vehicle registration fees, and will be phased in over time.

"People around the state said two things. They said, 'Don't hit us all at once and don't hit us all in one area.' So we need to do a multiyear buildup, we need to spread it out as much as possible, and we need a user-based system. We are going to stick to that kind of framework," he said. "Long before January, when we open the session, we would like to have some consensus on this legislation."

"We already have a lot of support - cities, counties, CEOs - it is the right thing to do," he said.

Broad support doesn't always translate into passage of legislation. Last year, lawmakers went into the session with a hue and cry to fix the state's highway deficit. A statewide coalition of state, county, city and business leaders rallied for the Legislature to give local governments the authority to ask voters to approve sales taxes for transportation.

When the session ended, though, lawmakers provided no new money to meet a highway construction shortfall pegged at $240 million a year, and legislation for local-option-taxing authority had died.

Increasing taxes and fees or implementing new ones can be challenging enough during years the state is flush with revenue. In deficit years, like this one will be, the challenge can be all but insurmountable.

The recent economic downturn, which now has some rural counties in double-digit unemployment and the state's financial situation deteriorating, is going to be at the forefront of many legislators' minds, Moyle said.

"The rural guys still control the Legislature," he said. "I think it still is going to be hard to get anything done on that end."

Cynthia Sewell: 377-6428