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2017 SESSION
17101395DPatrons-- Heretick, Bell, John J., Boysko, James, Kory, Krizek, Plum, Price and Simon; Senators: Spruill and Surovell
WHEREAS, the Joint Legislative and Audit Review Commission released a report (the Report) in 1999 entitled "Review of the Impact of State-Owned Ports on Local Governments"; and
WHEREAS, the Report concluded that host cities of state-owned ports suffer a substantial economic cost as a result of lost revenues and infrastructure expenditures, including loss of direct revenue due to the fact that Virginia Port Authority (VPA) terminals are located on valuable property but are exempt from local taxation; and
WHEREAS, except for some limited fire protection services, total services provided by the host cities of the VPA are not currently recognized for state reimbursement; and
WHEREAS, host cities bear significant costs for the maintenance of the streets and roads subjected to the wear and tear of extraordinary truck traffic; and
WHEREAS, the fiscal conditions of the host cities intensify these adverse impacts, as all the host cities are classified by the Virginia Commission on Local Government as experiencing high fiscal stress; and
WHEREAS, the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) fee formula was set up in 1981 to reimburse host cities who gave up their taxable properties and control of their ports for the good of the economy of the Commonwealth as a whole, however, the rate of payment has not changed or increased in over 35 years despite the rising cost of business, the expansion of VPA terminals, and the state's use of toll bridges, tunnels, and roadways in Hampton Roads; and
WHEREAS, the Report concluded that additional reimbursement could be provided to the VPA host localities on the basis of some measure of business activity at each terminal, however, the potential impact on the VPA business environment must not be overlooked; and
WHEREAS, the findings from the Report provided the basis for
the introduction and passage of SB 752 during the 2000
Session of the General Assembly, a bill that provided a new, more equitable
WHEREAS; the VPA host cities are a critical part of sustained economic growth in the Commonwealth; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission be directed to update its study of the impact of state-owned ports on local governments.
In conducting its study, the Joint
Legislative Audit and Review
Commission (JLARC) shall review and update its 1999 report entitled "Review of
the Impact of State-Owned Ports on Local Governments
Technical assistance shall be provided to the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission by the Department of Transportation, Department of Motor Vehicles, Department of Rail and Public Transportation, and Department of Aviation. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to JLARC for this study, upon request.