Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 14 · column 1 of 6 · from the scan, no model involved
By Dominic Bonailto
Rappahannock News Staff Writer
Republican Jerry Kilgore says it is time Virginia starts investing in transportation like it does for so many other quality-of-life issues.
Kilgore, the former state attorney general and leading Republican candidate for governor, wants to tap into the state’s general fund—that pot of tax dollars typically reserved for spending on such staples as schools, public safety and mental health services.
State aid for those and similar programs has increased alongside general fund spending, which has nearly doubled in the last decade, Kilgore noted in a recent interview with Times editors and reporters. But transportation spending has lagged woefully behind.
“I’d rather spend those dollars on something we can see rather than a new program,” Kilgore said. “Whether it’s a family budget or the state budget, it’s about setting priorities, and I want to make transportation a priority for this commonwealth.”
Kilgore said the gasoline surcharge already collected to maintain the highway network is simply not enough to keep up with the growing demand. I He did not specify how .much money he is considering -or from where it might come ~from, but he said annual ^.growth in the general fund .should be enough to limit the ;pain of cuts or revisions to ^spending. - Former governors and leg
93.7%