Stokes might catch a ride on PART
69% of its residents commute to their jobs outside of the county
PINNACLE (Winston-Salem Journal) - The drive to work might soon be a little easier for the hundreds of Stokes County residents who commute daily to downtown Winston-Salem.
The Stokes County Board of Commissioners discussed a proposal last night to join the counties that receive transit services from the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation.
Sixty-nine percent of Stokes County’s working residents leave the county to work, the highest percentage in the state, according to PART records.
The commissioners are considering a 5 percent tax on car rentals to cover the cost of upkeep of commuter buses and a park-and-ride lot. PART would collect the fees in exchange for transportation services in Stokes.
If commissioners approve the deal, regional transportation officials plan to build a park-and-ride lot in King.
PINNACLE (Winston-Salem Journal) - The drive to work might soon be a little easier for the hundreds of Stokes County residents who commute daily to downtown Winston-Salem.
The Stokes County Board of Commissioners discussed a proposal last night to join the counties that receive transit services from the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation.
Sixty-nine percent of Stokes County’s working residents leave the county to work, the highest percentage in the state, according to PART records.
The commissioners are considering a 5 percent tax on car rentals to cover the cost of upkeep of commuter buses and a park-and-ride lot. PART would collect the fees in exchange for transportation services in Stokes.
If commissioners approve the deal, regional transportation officials plan to build a park-and-ride lot in King.
posted by BP News Bureau | 12:56 PM
5 Comments:
PART for Stokes County is a great idea. I have a close relative, a Stokes resident, that takes the Pilot Mtn. PART bus to Winston-Salem's 'five points' area ( Stratford Road/1st Street/Country Club intersection) every day. She insists that it's a pleasure to ride.
The commissioners are considering a 5 percent tax on car rentals to cover the cost of upkeep of commuter buses and a park-and-ride lot. PART would collect the fees in exchange for transportation services in Stokes.
I didn't realize Stokes County had car rental businesses.
Stokes has car dealerships, correct? If so, they probably have car rental businesses. Many dealers also rent.
They have used car dealerships. I would be curious how much revenue Stokes County could get by passing a 5% tax on rental cars.
I doubt the commissioners can pass a 5% tax on car rentals by themselves. The rules surrounding the commissioners' taxing authority are pretty complex, but it really amounts to limiting them to a property tax. They would probably have to get local legislation through the NCGA and the state would collect the tax for them.
There are no car dealerships in Stokes County any more and there are not rental agencies. There may be a few Mom and Pop Rent-a-Wreck operations, but there is no way they could subsidize PART.
The way it would likely work would be that any time a Stokes County resident rents a car, the agency gets nailed for 5% by the state. Of course, the agencies will crank up their rates to cover that. They will have two options: Raise everyone's rates in NC, or note that the renter is from Stokes and tack the 5% on to his bill.
Of course, the right thing to do would be to contract the whole thing out without tax subsidies. Let PART charge what needs to be charged and leave all this collectivist nonsense behind. Competition will provide the best solution. If there is a market in Stokes County for mass transit, then it will work, otherwise, the local government is just creating a surplus supply and all the associated waste and fraud that goes with it.
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