In claiming that he can divert "excess" drink and rental-car taxes to transportation projects not directly related to mass transit, Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato cited a legal opinion that didn't come from where he said it did and didn't say what he said it did.
As we editorialized last week, the opinion Mr. Onorato cited came not from "a legislative caucus" but from the Legislative Reference Bureau. Neither Onorato nor the bureau would give up the opinion. But state Sen. Sean Logan did.
The only problem is that the opinion clearly states that revenues raised through taxes authorized by the Act 44 enabling legislation can be applied only to transit systems. And as the law intended and as "transit systems" is universally applied, that means mass transit, as in public conveyance, and its dedicated infrastructure.
And the reference bureau's opinion says as much -- "transit systems must be taken at (its) plain meaning."
Yet Onorato and even Sen. Logan insist Act 44 allows what it clearly does not and what the Legislative Reference Bureau affirms it does not allow. Perhaps their reading comprehension skills require testing.
Worse, they appear ready to spend thousands of taxpayer dollars to defend the indefensible in court.
How putrid. Such machinations are wholly incompatible with good government.
Larger text
Smaller text
Print this article
E-mail this article
