Commission May Decide Fate Of Congestion Pricing Plan

Assembly Democrats, even while flouting Mayor Bloomberg's Monday deadline for passage of his congestion pricing bill, may agree on a compromise that would establish a commission with the authority to dramatically scale back the mayor's proposal to charge drivers $8 to enter most of Manhattan, legislatives sources said yesterday.

The commission could be the last hope for the mayor's congestion pricing plan, which is backed by major business and civic groups in the city but faces strong opposition from many lawmakers representing districts outside Manhattan.

Top-level Spitzer administration officials were trying to negotiate an agreement on congestion pricing — along with other pieces of the governor's agenda —with their counterparts in the Senate and Assembly until yesterday evening. Talks are expected to continue today.

Assembly Democrats said they were doubtful that lawmakers would pass any version of congestion pricing. Although the plan is supported by the Republican majority leader in the Senate, Joseph Bruno, it was also unclear if there were enough votes in favor of the plan in the Senate.

"There's no agreement and there's no reason to come back," a Democratic assemblyman of Westchester, Richard Brodsky, said.

After urging Albany lawmakers to approve congestion pricing by Monday, Bloomberg officials appeared to soften their demands. They said they would consider the idea of a commission that would hammer out details of the plan at a later date. A spokesman for Mr. Bloomberg said yesterday that the ongoing negotiations were "cause for encouragement." The mayor is planning to work from Albany on Monday, a spokesman said.

Sources said the Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, has not ruled out backing legislation that would allow the city to start a congestion pricing program but would give lawmakers broad latitude to change fundamental components of the plan, such as shrinking the zone boundaries, reducing the daily fee rates, and adding more exemptions to the road tax.

For Mr. Silver, it's a delicate balance between satisfying his members, who are largely hostile to the idea of charging motorists to drive into Manhattan, and not being held responsible for the state losing more than $500 million in federal funds that are contingent on state approval.

Mr. Spitzer, who said he supports congestion pricing, has indicated that he would grant lawmakers their first pay raise in almost a decade if they agree to congestion pricing and pass other legislation, including an all-crimes DNA database, a paid family leave bill, and an overhaul of the state's Wicks Law construction mandate.

A new poll released yesterday conducted by WNBC/Marist found that 48% of Manhattan residents support congestion pricing, while 46% oppose it. Overall, 61% of residents in the New York metropolitan area oppose the plan. Mr. Silver reportedly said the state ought to examine granting tax credits to businesses that encourage telecommuting as a way of reducing traffic, as well as allowing certain license plates to drive on the streets during designated hours to thin the traffic flow.