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Abbott's failed promise to fix roads without tolls

Leadership derailed anti-toll bills, lege failed to pass them as amendments to other bills

Only four of 78 anti-toll bills passed, none of which will actually stop the toll tidal wave that's already on auto pilot. The ones that did pass were watered down...

SJR 5 to dedicate a portion of both general sales tax and vehicle sales tax to NON-TOLL highways (immediate net gain of $2.5 billion a year in new road funding). Getting new funding is the best way to stop their excuse to toll (which has been 'we're out of money for new lanes/roads').

HB 565 to strip private toll corporations of their eminent domain authority (which was supposed to effectively stop the controversial Blacklands toll road east of Dallas, but this bill was watered down to allow the company to still enter into an hybrid deal like a public private partnership. As you know, toll rates on public private partnerships are in excess of 80 cents per mile).

HB 122 to stop issuing debt from the Texas Mobility Fund and blocking those funds from being used on toll roads (but only for two years).

HB 2612 - Again, they took our toll cessation bill (SB 485/HB 1734) and watered it down to throw us a bone that asks TxDOT to give a report to the legislature on the possible elimination of some currently open toll roads. It will lay out a plan to accelerate the pay-off of toll debt or buy them out in a lump sum sooner.

It does NOT apply to tollways funded completely with bond debt by another entity, like the Harris County Toll Authority or North Texas Tollway Authority. It only applies to roads with state funding - not ALL toll roads.

So while passage of HB 2612 is progress from where we are today, it doesn't tell the whole story. Leadership in both chambers blocked our bills to eliminate ALL tolls once the debt is retired, which would also prevent most current toll projects from advancing due to our bills' restrictions on their Robin Hood financing schemes that rely on perpetual toll revenues from one road in order to finance and prop-up others. Their bill would only require a plan to eliminate some tolls and does nothing to prevent the current tsunami of planned toll roads across Texas.

It's not what the grassroots demanded and not what's in the GOP platform.

FINALLY A PARTIAL END TO GAS TAX DIVERSIONS
The budget did end (non-education) diversions of the gasoline tax, which adds an additional $1.3 billion to roads. Together with Prop 1 and passage of SJR 5, that's a total of $5 billion a year in new road funding. You'd think this would STOP the threat of toll roads in itself. But judging by the last two Texas Transportation Commission meetings chaired by Governor Greg Abbott's new appointee, it's business as usual at TxDOT. The ONLY state funds approved ($418 million) have gone to two toll roads - not FREEways.

That's right, your TAX money continues to be used to build toll roads, not freeways, which is DOUBLE TAXATION. This after Abbott campaigned on the promise to fix our roads without raising taxes, fees, or tolls. During the debates he emphasized his plan did not include toll roads. The legislation passed only prevents this NEW tax money (SJR 5) from going to toll roads, all of our existing gasoline taxes can and WILL be used to keep on building toll roads as planned.

YOUR TAX MONEY WILL CONTINUE TO SUBSIDIZE LOSER TOLL ROADS
Rep. Jeff Leach tried to add an amendment to the budget that would have prohibited any state money from being used on toll roads, but it failed by a vote of 89-52 (even after they watered it down). We tried again to get that prohibition (SB 1182 by Sen. Don Huffines) tacked onto another bill (HB 13 or HB 20) in the Senate, but Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick failed to support it and Huffines was told it lacked the votes to pass. Without public subsidies, 99.9% of all currently planned toll roads would DIE! They'd have to be done as FREEways.

So it's not just Abbott, the Lt Governor Dan Patrick and Speaker

Joe Straus blocked our most important bills, and the majority of both your House and Senate members failed to deliver this most important taxpayer protection. Patrick signed onto our legislative agenda in writing prior to his election, but failed to deliver on our key reforms.

Huffines' bill to audit the RMAs also failed to pass the House, which is unbelievable given this scathing expose' of the waste, and abuse inside RMAs by the Dallas Morning News.

We'll give you a full analysis of all the transportation and property rights bills that passed (and failed) and how it will impact Texas moving forward. We did a few good eminent domain bills and some good government accountability bills, but by and large, the results fell well short of promised reforms.

DFW -
Feedback on future transportation plan needed NOW

Trinity Toll Road meetings also this month

before a conference the microphones in front of empty chairs. Note Shallow depth of field

The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) and the Regional Transportation Council (RTC) are asking for public input on updates to its project list. Virtually VERY highway in Dallas-Ft.Worth is slated to have toll lanes added to it. Unless we start removing the toll elements from these plans, a toll tsunami will ensue. The excuse was there was no money to fix them unless they toll them. But with an additional $5 billion/year in NEW funding, that excuse no longer hold water!

Concerned citizens need to focus on a consistent message:

'Use ALL new funds coming from the legislature to REPLACE toll elements on existing projects BEFORE adding ANY new projects to the plan.'

NOTE: Be sure to include your full name and address and ask for confirmation of receipt of your comments.

ACTION ITEM

There's also a Public Meeting when the public can comment directly to the RTC board comprised of elected officials on June 8.

PUBLIC MEETING ON UPDATE TO

REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLANS

Monday, June 8

2:30 PM

North Central Texas

Council of Governments

616 Six Flags Drive

Arlington, Texas 76011

Submit comments here by June 9 at midnight.

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TRINITY TOLL ROAD UPDATE

Certain public officials are still trying to push the controversial Trinity Toll Road down taxpayers' throats. Be sure to attend one of these meetings to make your voices heard. Considering this toll road would be built in a flood plain and much of Dallas has been experiencing severe flooding in recent weeks, now more than ever this ill-conceived toll road needs to DIE! Our tax money is better spent on replacing all these planned toll lanes with FREE lanes to add adequate capacity to our FREEways. The legislature failed to pass the bills to KILL this toll road. So now it's the hard way...

Trinity Toll Road Meetings

June 2, 7 to 9 AM - Dallas Regional Chamber, 500 N. Akard St. #2600 (requires pre-registration at dallaschamber.org)
June 8, 6 to 8 PM - Women's Museum at Fair Park, 3800 Parry Ave.
June 9, 6 to 8 PM - Wilshire Bank Community Center, 2237 Royal Lane.
June 10, 6 to 8 PM - University of North Texas, 7300 University Hills Blvd.

June 11, 6 to 8 PM. - Cedar Crest Golf Course, 1800 Southerland Ave.
June 15, 6 to 8 PM - Knights of Columbus Hall, 10110 Shoreview Road.
June 16, 6 to 8 PM - Walnut Hill Recreation Center, 10011 Midway Road.
June 18, 6 to 8 PM - Eastfield College-Pleasant Grove, 802 S. Buckner Blvd.
June 22, 6 to 8 PM - Methodist Dallas Medical Center's Hitt Auditorium, 1441 N. Beckley Ave.
June 23, 6 to 8 PM, Dallas City Performance Hall, 2520 Flora St.

SAN ANTONIO -
Final study on 281 toll road released

Comments due on I-10, take SA Tomorrow survey

big stack of papers documents business background

Clock is ticking on US 281 toll project

You've undoubtedly heard that the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the US 281 toll project was released for public comment on May 22. The public only has 30 days to wade through a 3,000 page document (plus thousands more pages of summaries of the public meetings and public comment), evaluate it, and prepare comments.

ACTION ITEM #1

Comments are due, June 22, on this web site.

We'll be reviewing the FEIS and suggesting comments on the document, its flaws, and assumptions after we assess it.

In the meantime, the main message is: 'We do not want a tolled alternative. Go back to the complete NON-TOLL EXPRESSWAY alternative studied earlier using the new money the legislature has made available to fund it fully without tolls.'

I-10 'Managed' Toll Lane Public Comment Due

TxDOT plans to add two tolled managed lanes each direction on I-10 from Loop 1604 to Ralph Fair Rd (FM 3351) at a cost of $180 million ($70 million to add the managed lanes, $110 million for new

tolled direct connect ramps at the Loop 1604 interchange). This is NOT being funded with bonds backed by the future toll revenues, it's being funded with your TAX money, but they're going to charge you a toll to drive on it!

So TxDOT staff and consultants flat out LIED to the public at the 'open house' telling them it has to be tolled in order to pay for the project or else it'll be delayed 10 years to fund it with traditional funding.

The toll rates depend on the time of day ranging from 17 cents a mile up to 50 cents a mile. You'll pay the max during peak hours. It's roughly 5 miles, so $5/day in new toll taxes.

The ONLY exit other than where the project begin and ends is at the Dominion. Via is also building a transit center along the route and the toll lanes will double as 'transit priority lanes,' so those riding a bus travel free. They're supposed to be HOV lanes, too, but only registered vanpools will be allowed to ride free.

ACTION ITEM #2

Submit public comments by June 2 to: I10managedlanesproject@dannenbaum.com

Be sure to include your full name and address and to ask for confirmation of receipt of your comments.

ACTION ITEM #3

City plan will dictate future transportation policy

The City of San Antonio is compiling a long-range plan called 'SA Tomorrow' that will dictate how streets, infrastructure, travel, commuting, jobs, housing, and policies governing every day living will be imposed by the city. Whatever gets put in these plans cements future outcomes. The ONLY time the public has ANY input is at this level when they put out a call for feedback.

So please take the time to fill-out this online survey NOW, while there's still opportunity to shape these major decisions being foisted upon an unsuspecting public.

OUR NEXT GATHERING JUNE 4

Plan to join us for our next meeting. We'll give you a complete wrap up how transportation and property rights legislation fared in the 84th Legislative session as well as the local toll road scene.

TURF Meeting

Thursday, June 4

Chester's Hamburgers

16699 San Pedro

San Antonio, TX

(Off US 281 at Thousand Oaks/Mecca exit)

6:00 PM

(Order dinner on your own)

6:30 PM
Meeting begins

NOTE: This will be our final meeting before the summer break!

BE IN THE KNOW...

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Alamo City to impose bus-toll lanes on ALL highways

READ MORE HERE.

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Straus forbids anti-toll amendments from being heard

HEADLINES...

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New financing tool could get I-635 expanded without tolls