Prop-ping up Texas road spending

Austin American-Statesman ^ | October 1, 2007 | Ben Wear

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

So, you've no doubt decided already how you're going to vote on Prop. 12.

Me, neither.

In fact, until I started working on this column, I couldn't have told you that there are 16 amendments to our ever-ballooning Texas Constitution awaiting you on the Nov. 6 ballot, including one involving county inspectors "of hides and animals." Or that Proposition 12 would allow the Texas Department of Transportation for the first time to use general state revenue — sales taxes, oil taxes, etc. — to pay back money borrowed for roads. Up to $5 billion of borrowed money.

Actually, it would amend the constitution to make that possible. To really make it happen, the Legislature would have to pass what is called "enabling legislation." There was a bill to do that in the session this spring, one meant to accompany Prop. 12, but it perished.

If Prop. 12 passes, lawmakers would have to come back in 2009 and fill in the dots.

Those dots are pretty important. Could the bond money be spent on toll roads, or only on free roads? Both? Could the agency borrow it all at once, or over several years? Could it be spent only on new highway lanes? What about passenger rail, or Gov. Rick Perry's Trans-Texas Corridor? Could it be used for those?

Then there's the question of where this $5 billion might be spent. Mostly in congestion-plagued metro areas, or evenly spread around state House and state Senate districts?

Historically, the Legislature, unlike Congress, has pretty much avoided specifying in law where Texas spends its transportation money. What political influence there is on that, and there is some, is more of the unofficial, stern-phone-call kind. But given how politically active the Transportation Department has been lately — Transportation Commission Chairman Ric Williamson seemed like a 182nd legislator last session — and the distrust some legislators have toward the agency, there's no telling whether that hands-off policy will continue.

The money could come in handy.

The department had been in a flush period, thanks mostly to earlier amendments and legislation that allowed it to borrow about $7 billion and pay it back with gas taxes and fees. There was also a brief spike in allocations from Uncle Sam from the federal gas tax. And there were deals in the works with private companies to build toll roads. Road builders were walking around with perma-grins.

Circumstance and the Legislature have pretty much wiped off those grins. The federal money is drying up, most of that borrowing stash is committed and those private toll roads have fallen into disfavor. The Transportation Department, going into worst-case-scenario mode, said last week that after this year there'll be no more money for new roads.

An arguable point, certainly, one certain to be argued over the next couple of years. Prop. 12, if nothing else, might provide some money to tide us over until that spat is resolved.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Trans-Texas Corridor PING!

[mnehring]

Bump

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Re: your tagline:

Ron Paul earmarked money for the NAFTA superhighway? Do you mean to tell me that numbskull appropriated taxpayer money for an URBAN LEGEND???

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

[mnehring]

It was for the I69/Trans-Texas project that people claim is the first leg of the NAU/NAFTA Superhighway. Personally I think the whole NAU thing is bunk, but I find it funny that Paul tells everyone how much against it, and his cult is so obsessed with it, that at the same time he pulls the political wink, wink, nudge, nudge backdoor earmark for it.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

I think TTC-35 is actually the component with the tinfoil designation.

[weegee]

Houston PING

[mnehring]

The real conspiracy will be all the frat guys stealing the I69 road signs.

[mnehring]

http://ttc.keeptexasmoving.org/projects/i69/

[PAR35]

Taxpayer funding for Ric and Rick’s private toll roads?

[E.G.C.]

BTTT

[wolfcreek]

This amendment would give TXDOT access to monies they couldn’t touch before. In 2001 the Texas Mobility Auth. was created and given more power and leeway than any other state department. (IMO) This will give them more power and the voting public, less.

I say, “VOTE *NO* on Prop. 12!

Let’s call their bluff and make the Legislature pull in the reigns.

[mathluv]

I’ll agree to that. Are there any we should vote FOR?

[af_vet_rr]

This amendment would give TXDOT access to monies they couldn’t touch before. In 2001 the Texas Mobility Auth. was created and given more power and leeway than any other state department. (IMO) This will give them more power and the voting public, less.

It's kind of scary where TXDOT is headed budget/power wise, and how far it's come in the past six years or so. The signs were there with the rise of the Regional Mobility Authorities, with everybody that Perry was appointing to them. Many of them seemed in love with the idea of lots of public mass transit everywhere (rail, etc.), as well as toll roads. Eventually we (or our kids or grandkids) will have to pay for the shortcomings...

[wolfcreek]

Maybe this one.

http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlodocs/80R/billtext/html/HJ00054F.htm

IICR, there’s some money for the State Parks (which I would vote for) but, I haven’t read through the rest, yet.

All I can say is research them all carefully. The authorization for the Texas Mobility Auth. was in prop 15 section 49C. I guarantee you most people who voted in that 2001 special election, never read that far.

[wolfcreek]

I was wrong........no money for State Parks

[af_vet_rr]

I was wrong........no money for State Parks

That's a bummer, TPWD needs more money, because some of the parks are getting run-down, and for a few years, they were really encouraging youngsters to take up fishing, hunting, and other outdoors activities (which is money well spent).

Unfortunately, there were probably people upset that TWPD would do anything to encourage youngsters to take up fishing, etc. (or "murder of defenseless fish" as they might call it :-/ ).

Not to derail, but speaking of youngsters and TPWD, this weekend is the Texas Parks and Wildlife Expo:

Begun in 1992 as a tribute to hunting, fishing and the Great Outdoors, Texas Parks & Wildlife Expo celebrates its sixteenth anniversary this year. Saturday and Sunday, October 6 & 7, Texas Parks and Wildlife headquarters in Austin will be transformed into the site of the largest event of its kind in the nation. Last year over 35,000 visitors enjoyed Expo!

What is the Texas Parks and Wildlife Expo? It's an outdoor experience where visitors fish, shoot, kayak, rock climb, mountain bike, see and touch wildlife, learn about recreation in the Great Outdoors and see and buy the latest in outdoor gear and services.