In December, Governor Tim Kaine (www.governor.virginia.gov) announced his plan to soak up $1 billion in surplus funds with budget amendments—though it remains to be seen whether the General Assembly will buy any of it. Here, a quick summary of what it might mean for us:
Kaine has proposed to spend half the surplus, or $500 million, on transportation projects. Few of those dollars will be spent locally, with $305 million in Capitol Beltway projects, $125 million to rail and transit capital improvements in NoVa, $50 million to rail relocation in Hampton Roads and $20 million for technology innovation grants in aforementioned areas.
News for seniors: Kaine proposed raising the Medicaid allowance by $10 per month and adding $700,000 for home-delivered meals for seniors. Duffers at local retirement country clubs remain largely unaffected.
Listen up, UVA: Kaine proposed funding post-secondary education centers in Southwest Virginia, funds for capital projects at state universities and $12 million for a biotechnology research center in the Shenandoah Valley. Do we smell competition?
For rural area protectionists: The guv proposed $13.7 million for the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation and $5 million to collaborate with localities on farmland preservation efforts.
He’s also proposed $7.6 million for emergency planning—the local connection? Let us remind ourselves that we live 30 miles from the North Anna Nuclear Power
station. And that pandemic flu can come any season.
Kaine also proposed rejiggering the income tax brackets to exempt families making $12,000 per year or less. According to 2005 figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, that would provide relief for more than 7,000 local families.
