Arlington County Board member Matt de Ferranti says he opposes a region-wide sales tax to offset Metro costs and believes each stakeholder should fund their portion individually.
Currently Metro faces a shortfall of $500-$600 million per year.
Metro board members are currently exploring two options to close the gap. Option B would increase sales tax across the region while Option A would allow Virginia, Maryland and DC to choose their own systems for raising revenue. Under Option A, Northern Virginia would be expected to contribute between $150 and $180 million in the first year.
These numbers are expected to grow over time.
Supporters of de Ferranti appeared at a recent DMVMoves meeting advocating for Option A.
“I would without a doubt prefer Option A,” said Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay. “There are a lot of challenges in Option B. The challenge for many of us might be the loss of local autonomy, input, structure.”
Loudoun County Board Chair Phyllis Randall supported the region-wide tax expressing her concern that in the future, all jurisdictions may not choose to support their full share.
Supporters of Option B primarily wanted to establish a permanent method of funding the system. Supporters of Option A were primarily concerned about the loss of local autonomy in Option B.
Thanks to opposition primarily from Fairfax County and Maryland leaders, DMVMoves appears to have abandoned Option A.
In June, Virginia lawmakers met to consider local options for sustainable funding. The legislative subcommittee has identified 10 possible sources of revenue including retail taxes, transient occupancy, and parking fees.
Metro currently has no rainy-day fund and has exhausted its debt capacity.
Metro is making significant investments to upgrade systems and services such as the new Tap-Ride-Go initiative that allows passengers to pay with a credit card rather than downloading an app or purchasing a SmarTrip card.