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South Central Transportation Authority pitch outlines funding mechanism and local control option
Summary
A South Central Transportation Authority representative briefed Halifax County officials on a proposed regional transportation authority that would require legislative action; the plan would redirect existing state fuel and sales‑tax revenue into a regional authority with a 55/35/10 split (local/regional/transit) and could yield about $2.7 million annually to Halifax County from fuel taxes, the presenter said.
A representative of the South Central Transportation Authority presented to Halifax County elected officials on June 16 a proposal to form a regional transportation authority that would collect and control a portion of regionally generated transportation funds.
J. Ellington told the Board and Planning Commission that creation of such an authority would require an act of the General Assembly and that the authority’s revenues would come from existing fuel and sales‑use tax streams redirected to a regional entity. He described a revenue‑sharing example that would allocate roughly 55% of the redirected pot to local jurisdictions, 35% to regional projects and 10% to public transit; using current local fuel‑tax receipts Ellington estimated Halifax County would receive approximately $2.7 million annually in that local share.
Ellington said an enabling bill would identify appointment mechanisms for the authority’s board and that the earliest the authority could be established would be July of the following year if jurisdictions adopt resolutions and the General Assembly acts. He outlined advantages: a stable, regionally controlled funding stream for local improvements such as turn lanes, roundabouts and school‑zone safety projects, and the ability to prioritize local needs rather than waiting on statewide programming through VDOT and SMART SCALE projects.
Board members’ questions focused on timing, whether participation would mean forfeiting other state dollars, and governance (board appointments and vote weighting among jurisdictions). Ellington said joining would not remove jurisdictions from consideration for state funding programs but would create a local pot for projects chosen by the regional authority. He added that the authority’s board composition and voting structure are typically determined in the enabling legislation and that the region is still working on a governance model that gives each jurisdiction voice while avoiding strictly population‑weighted decision rules.
The presentation is preliminary; Ellington said he is continuing outreach and expects jurisdictions to consider resolutions this summer with possible General Assembly introduction the following winter.
