In the regular session, the General Assembly did pass SB 576: Northern Virginia Transportation Authority. Since population was to be the primary basis for making decisions in the new Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, the "neighbors" were concerned that Fairfax County would have excessive influence in that organization.
In later negotiations, all members of the authority agreed that no project would be approved in a jurisdiction unless that county or city approved. That mitigated the fear that Fairfax could force another section in Northern Virginia to build a road. Imagine you had been elected to the Loudoun Board of Supervisors, and local opposition was strong to the "Route 234 Bypass/Route 659 Relocated" (also known as the "Western Bypass" or "Tri-County Connector") - or you represented southern Fairfax County, and Prince William kept proposing to extend Ridgefield Road north and build a bridge across the Occoquan Reservoir. You would want veto power over projects in your jurisdiction; you would not want the elected officiaks in other jurisdictions to have the ability to force construction of a road in your territory. After all, Prince William supervisors would be unaffected by voter discontent in Loudoun...
Vance Wilkins, the Speaker who controlled the House of Delegates, ended the debate in the regular 2002 session by adjourning the house without considering the last compromise proposal from the Senate, SB 692: Local income tax in Northern Virginia.
Governor Warner created a new opportunity to finance mass transit and road projects during the regularly-scheduled "veto session." (The veto session is a short reconvening of the General Assembly allowing the legislators a chance to overide the Governor's vetoes, or to respond to his proposed amendments to bills passed earlier in the year.) The General Assembly approved his modification to SB668 (which authorized the Hampton Roads referendum) and approved a referendum asking Northern Virginia voters to raise $5 billion over the next 20 years. The increased funds were dedicated to finance Northern Virginia transportation projects, using a 0.5% increase in the sales tax - rather than imposing a local income tax to support both schools and transportation.
As described by the State Board of Elections: