THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 12, 1995 TAG: 9510120315
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TONI WHITT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 52 lines
When the state sends marching orders to localities, as Virginia recently did in limiting taxes on trucking, it can stick in a council's craw.
But some decisions leave a worse taste than others.
Especially when it appears that a political action committee's donations at the state Capitol may have influenced the legislation.
Councilman John M. de Triquet at the end of Tuesday night's meeting pointed to a Virginian-Pilot article on PAC contributions and the statement of one lobbyist that his group was handing out $36,325 to incumbents in this election as a way of `` `thanking' them for supporting us'' in passing mobile home legislation last year.
The law, which rankled Chesapeake leaders, required cities, regardless of local concerns, to allow single-wide mobile homes in agricultural zones.
De Triquet called it the kind of action that adds to the ``growing sentiment of distrust'' among citizens toward politicians.
``I'm not saying it's right or wrong,'' de Triquet said, ``but when citizens read articles like that it certainly gives them pause when they look at how decisions are made. There has to be some limit to that influence.''
Chesapeake is struggling to get a handle on a population explosion that puts it among the top 10 fastest-growing cities in the nation. Eliminating the city's say over mobile homes didn't help, de Triquet said.
``We could have trailers coming up anywhere in agriculturally zoned areas of the city,'' he said. ``This type of planning was taken entirely out of our hands.''
The legislation was pushed by the Virginia Manufactured Housing Association as a way to boost trailer sales by 10 percent over the next five years.
Chesapeake learned that it may also have no choice in the trucking tax issue.
No one is sure of the actual cost to Chesapeake, de Triquet said, because the General Assembly wasn't specific about the types of vehicles that can no longer be taxed.
So the council deferred action for 30 days to get more information about the types of trucks involved and how much it will cost. The council also asked for an opinion about their options from the attorney general.
But City Attorney Ronald S. Hallman warned the council members that they probably will have to pass a law limiting the taxes. It was the will of Richmond, he noted, and under state law, it's final.
KEYWORDS: CAMPAIGN FINANCES by CNB