Subject: Scottsdale City Council straddles light-rail fence & Napolitano says road, transit projects can be built faster without a tax boost Date: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 9:56 PM Napolitano says road, transit projects can be built faster without a tax boost By Howard Fischer Capitol Media Services - Arizona / West Tucson, Arizona | Published: 12.13.2006 http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/160200 PHOENIX - Calling it a "time tax," Gov. Janet Napolitano said Tuesday that she will propose a way to accelerate both road construction and mass transit without raising taxes. Napolitano said too much of the state is being developed with homes coming first and plans for services later. But Napolitano, in a preview of her State of the State speech, conceded that simply building more roads faster addresses only the symptoms of the state's meteoric growth. The governor also wants to: ? Expand availability of "affordable housing" to ensure that people who work in communities actually can live there. ? Allow rural communities to deny building permits when there is no guarantee of enough water. ? Protect both natural and historical resources to ensure that Arizona does not "cement over our past" as it builds new houses and shopping centers. The governor, however, rejected growth limits, saying they are not necessary, even in a state where it rains only about 7 inches a year. "Even now, we're banking water," Napolitano said, referring to a 2004 deal for the state to bank and then sell more than 14 billion gallons of the Arizona's water supply to Nevada every year for the next three decades. "And we're careful about water." Instead, Napolitano told mayors meeting in Phoenix that the state and its communities need "more tools" to deal with the effects of growth. At or near the top of that list is traffic congestion, as drivers find themselves spending more time moving shorter distances. "We need to accelerate the construction of state roadways and expand other transportation options throughout the state," she said. Napolitano said the current schedule for building new roads and widening existing ones "is currently too long," with no end in sight to current congestion. "Quite frankly, to me, sitting in traffic is a time tax," the governor explained. "For many, many people, busy or juggling work or family or other things, your time is your most precious asset." Napolitano said she will ask legislators to change how highways are financed. The governor would not be specific, but she said it would not involve higher taxes or borrowing more money than the state already does for its road-building projects. And an aide said it does not involve toll roads. The governor said she also wants to accelerate mass transit funding and provide cash for intercity rail, something that does not now exist. Napolitano also wants changes in state law to promote affordable housing. "There are whole areas of our state where the average housing cost is far outstripping the average wage," she said. "There are areas of our state where there are people who are teachers and police officers and public servants cannot afford to live in the community that they service." She said that means giving more options to local governments to plan and actually finance homes that people can afford. "We want people to be able to have and own their own home," Napolitano said. _____ Scottsdale City Council straddles light-rail fence No 'yes' vote, but members aren't yet ruling out transit corridor option By BRIAN POWELL TRIBUNE CONTACT WRITER: (480) 970-2341 or bpowell@aztrib.com The Scottsdale City Council didn't say yes to light rail on Tuesday, but they were unwilling to rule it out for good. The council's discussion about whether to position Scottsdale Road to become home to light rail , modern streetcar or express bus service turned into a passionate debate, with council members and 16 residents commenting throughout. Councilman Bob Littlefield made a motion to reverse a 2003 decision and remove Scottsdale Road as the designated transit corridor - a move that would end any chance of light rail going up and down the city's main thoroughfare. After each council member spoke and it was apparent Littlefield would lose 4-3, he amended his motion to hold a vote on whether to remove light rail as a transit option along Scottsdale Road. The ratio remained the same, though, as the majority voted to keep light rail on the table. Littlefield, along with councilmen Jim Lane and Tony Nelssen, voted to remove the $70 million-a-mile system as an option for Scottsdale Road. "I just wanted to put everyone on record. Three of us will not consider light rail and the other four say they are willing to consider light rail," said Littlefield, who did not offer a preferred transit corridor alternative. The other four council members did not commit to light rail , but said it was premature to remove it as an option before the city's $1.2 million update of the master transportation plan is completed. "There's no compelling reason to change the (corridor) designation," Councilman Wayne Ecton said. Councilwoman Betty Drake and Mayor Mary Manross both made comments implying they would oppose running light rail through downtown Scottsdale - the concern raised by a number of residents in the audience. Drake said she might support a light-rail system south of downtown. Michael Fernandez, owner of Pottery Paradise in downtown Scottsdale, spoke against the transit system with his slide, "A Streetcar Named Disaster," looming in the background. He said light rail would increase congestion, pollution, crime and fatalities and disrupt business. Sam West, also opposed to light rail, said: "The only congestion we have to fear is construction itself." But representatives of the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce and Scottsdale Healthcare and a few other residents said it was important to keep Scottsdale Road's designation as the transit corridor. Bill Lindley, director of the Arizona Rail Passenger Association, said keeping the designation will be important in making the city vibrant. "We need to grow and embrace change or die," Lindley said. The plan is to have whatever transit option is selected for Scottsdale Road to link to the $1.4 billion, 20-mile regional light-rail system under construction in Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa. Scottsdale's master transportation plan update is also conducting traffic circulation studies of areas including downtown, the Airpark and north area, plus other street, bicycle and pedestrian options. The plan likely will be up for a vote either next summer or later.