RMA board is unfair to counties

Dear Editor,

As a county resident, I have been very vocal opposing any Chesterfield County funds contributing to [a proposed new Richmond Braves ballpark (The Diamond) located in the City of Richmond] based on concerns involving the unfair voting practice I feel Chesterfield and Henrico currently have within the Richmond Metropolitan Authority (RMA) board which controls and manages The Diamond. The RMA board has 11 voting members: Richmond (6), Chesterfield (2), Henrico (2) and the Commonwealth Transportation Board (1), which was authorized by the Virginia General Assembly in 1966.

Where is the fairness to Chesterfield and Henrico if they are outnumbered before any RMA board vote is taken? The city will win every time.

Issues passed by the RMA board requiring the counties' cooperation must be approved by the counties' board of supervisors. However, if any one of the counties do not approve the RMA board actions, [it] can be construed that a county is not willing to have regional cooperation.

I will not support rebuilding or replacing The Diamond unless Richmond requests and supports equal voting rights to the counties that are on the RMA board to the 2008 General Assembly. I oppose using Chesterfield County funds to replace the Richmond Braves ballpark and [will] lobby the Henrico Board of Supervisors to do the same.

In 1966, the sole purpose of forming the RMA was to [provide relief for] city traffic congestion, which led to the construction of the Downtown Expressway. Back then, Richmond was the leader in regional population and economic power, but that is no longer true.

Tolls for two-axle vehicles [continue to escalate] from an original 15 cents when the Powhite Parkway was opened in 1973 to 25 cents in July of 1978, to 30 cents in November of 1986, to 35 cents in April of 1988, and most recently to 50 cents in January of 1998. RMA's outstanding debt continues to rise and is now approaching $200 million.

Since 1973, users of the RMA Expressway have paid $300 million plus in tolls, as stated in a JLARC 1991 Report Summary. This figure is more than likely over $600 million by now. I am very sure a major portion of those tolls were paid by Chesterfield County residents for a road system that cost approximately $25 million to build in the early 70s.

Since the 1970s, the RMA has expanded its role to include parking decks within the city, the purchase of the Boulevard Bridge, The Diamond, operation of Main Street Station and advertising space at the RMA toll booths. All are income generators that benefit Richmond and not the surrounding areas.

Since 1990, RMA's debt has risen along with operation and administration costs to over 120 percent. Many of those rising costs were due to the actions voted on by the RMA board. How many of those actions were opposed by Chesterfield, Henrico and the Virginia Transportation Board? In my opinion, the RMA will always have a toll that will increase and continue to place an unfair burden on the area, mainly Chesterfield residents who must pay a toll to enter or exit the city unless one of the six toll free routes are taken.

In last year's General Assembly, House Bill 3106 was proposed to give equal voting power to the counties, which was strongly opposed by Richmond, and the bill was killed in committee. I am requesting our state legislators reintroduce the bill and [have] Richmond publicly address this concern to show regional cooperation by allowing equal voting rights to all on the RMA board.

Joe Cacciotti

Richmond