An analysis of secondary road maintenance payments to Henrico and Arlington counties.

The purpose of this analysis was to respond to the requirements set forth in House Bill 30 from the 2000 Session of Virginia's General Assembly. Because of the legislative history regarding the language in the bill, the analysis was limited to maintenance payments to Henrico and Arlington counties. The researchers investigated three approaches to examine the FY 00 and FY 01 maintenance allocations for Henrico and Arlington counties. After extensive statistical testing and analysis, the comparable counties approach was rejected because it could not account for pockets of urbanization and growth found in Henrico County and because no county was comparable to Arlington County. In conclusion, the statistical model approach that estimates allocations based on population and lane miles is very attractive because it is logical and can be used to adjust rates as a county grows. The "city street" approach is included solely for comparison purposes and is not recommended as a basis for establishing allocations for Henrico or Arlington.