CHARLESTON, W.Va. — In the less than three weeks remaining before the October Special Election, Governor Jim Justice, those with the West Virginia Department of Transportation and others will be making a big push for passage of the Roads To Prosperity Amendment.
“We do have over 100 presentations that are scheduled between now and Oct. 7 with all of us putting a full-court press on trying to get the word out,” state DOT Secretary Tom Smith told lawmakers during a Monday presentation at the State Capitol.
Delegate Brent Boggs (D-Braxton, 34) said such educational events are necessary.
“It’s been very quiet,” Boggs said. “It’s been very quiet, at least in central West Virginia about where people are at on this, but it seems like most people are getting their information from social media and a lot of that is not accurate.”
On the ballot is the issue of whether West Virginia can borrow upwards of $1.6 billion for road construction projects.
A priority list for funding is available HERE.
“We’re proud of that list,” Smith said. “We think we did a pretty good job of identification, but we’re interested in engaging the public and you to see if we can improve on it.”
The proposed Roads to Prosperity Amendment is one component in the Justice Administration’s comprehensive roads plan.
That plan also includes expansions of Garvee bond usage and the design-build program within the Division of Highways along with changes to procedures for public-private partnerships in road projects and additions of bonding capacity for the West Virginia Parkways Authority.
“As we actually have these bigger dollars that can focus on these big projects, what we have already done and it’ll be in our budget submittal that you see soon, is we’ve made the amount allocated for routine maintenance bigger,” Smith said.
Boggs said that’s an important step.
“A lot of people are concerned about highways across the state, but they’re most concerned about the road in front of their home,” Espinosa said.
During his Monday presentation, Smith took questions from Espinosa and other members the Legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Finance as part of September interim meetings which continue through Tuesday at the State Capitol.
Joint Standing Committee on Finance Chair Eric Nelson (R-Kanawha, 35) told lawmakers to leave the meeting keeping in mind that the bonds, if approved, would be issued at projected rates of between 3.5 percent and 4 percent for the 20 to 25 year period.
“I believe the Secretary said that he is faced with inflation on an annual basis of greater than 4 percent, so you lock in a rate,” Nelson said.
On Monday night, Smith was one of the scheduled speakers at a road bond forum in Greenbrier County while Gov. Justice was traveling to Mason County earlier in the day for a town hall meeting in Point Pleasant.
At previous stops, Justice has claimed bond failure would lead to government “wasting” additional road revenues already being collected through the increases to Division of Motor Vehicle fees, wholesale gas taxes and vehicle sales taxes that took effect in July.
Monday was the last day to register to vote in the Special Election.
Early voting begins on Friday and continues through Wed., Oct. 4.
Polls will be open on Sat., Oct. 7 across West Virginia from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.