What Faith Chatham wants to see "tweeked" in Carona's Rail Financing Bill

By Faith Chatham - DFWRCC - March 20, 2009
Financing passenger rail in Texas is one of the few true cures for gridlock and improvements to air quality in the DFW region. Congestion pricing and market valuation on tolled HOV lanes and toll roads will not cure gridlock or improve air quality. Getting cars off the roadways is a much better plan.

Arlington, Texas, in the center of the DFW Region, is the largest city in the USA without mass transit. Over 60% of the residents of Arlington work outside of the city and it is estimated that over 70% of those who work in Arlington reside outside of the city. Except fora pilot program for commuter bus service from two park and ride lots in Arlington to Fort Worth, every worker is dependent upon private automobiles for commuting to and from work. A similar scenario exists in neighboring Grand Prairie.

The Dorothy Spur runs through the downtown business/entertainment districts of both cities. That rail line is currently devoted entirely to freight transportation and a few Amtrak trains a day, none of which actually stop in either Arlington or Grand Prairie. Some freight is switched to feeder tracks in the Great Southwest Business District, but passengers are not allowed to board or exit any passenger train which passes through either of these cities.

Senator Carona authored SB942, a local option transportation bill, in an attempt to generate a source of funding for passenger rail which voters in each county can approve or reject to address regional rail needs throughout the state. SB942 needs a serious overhaul before it is voted on by the Senate or Texas Legislature. Two other rail financing bills, one by Sen. Truitt and one by Sen. Villarreal have been filed. Terry Hall of T.U.R.F. favors Senator Villarreal's version.

I am personally very interested in seeing a tighter, more precisely worded rail financing bill passed by both houses of the Texas Legislature. Current vague wording in all versions before the Senate present pittfalls.

Here is Faith Chatham's Wish List or list of "tweeks" for Rail Infrastructure Financing Bills:
1. Caps on potential taxes or fee increases should be lower. Currently many are so high that voters will reject all options because they vehemently object to the potential high cost of one or more potential options. The cap on proposed increase in vehicle registration or vehicle sales tax fees should be clearly stated and LOW ENOUGH THAT IT WILL BE ACCEPTABLE TO VOTERS!
2. Proposed tax increases should be tied to specific rail projects.
3. The bill(s) should clearly state that income generated from the tax or fee increase MUST be applied to the SPECIFIC PROJECT approved by the voters.
4. Instead of voter approval being optional, the language of the bill(s) must stipulate that the VOTERS MUST APPROVE THE TAX INCREASE FOR THE SPECIFIED PROJECT before public funds are spent on planning, environmental or construction of a proposed rail line or facility.
5. All bills must eliminate the requirement that citizens gather 10% of the signatures in that region of voters in the last governor's election before citizens are given opportunity to vote on the rail option. Instead, as stated in number 3, the language MUST STIPULATE CLEARLY that proposed increase in existing fees or taxes or imposition of new fees or taxes for proposed rail infrastructure projects be presented to the voters for approval before public funds are spent on proposed rail projects.
6. Passenger rail projects funded under these bills may not impose "congestion pricing" or "market pricing" on passenger rail tickets.
7. All fees or fee (tax) increase imposed on passenger vehicles under this act must also apply to commercial vehicles. Current bills exclude commercial vehicles from most proposed new taxes (fees).
8. When new fees (taxes) are presented to the voter, the bill should stipulate that there must be a sunset for the taxes stipulated in the wording on the ballot, clearly stating what specific project the funds are for and that they cannot be transferred to any other project without voter approval.
9. There should be a sunset in the bill for the expiration of the provisions of the bill stipulated in the language of the bill. After ten or twenty years, the taxpayers should be given opportunity to decide if these special financing options are the best options for their communities at that time.
10. There should be a cap on proposed fares for passenger rail funded under these options presented clearly in the language on the ballot when these options are presented to the voters.
11. There should be a sunset on particualar taxes when a sufficient income is generated to retire the construction debt for the project. Maintenance cost should be generated by passenger fees.
12. The language of the bill should allow muncipalities and districts within a county to vote on accepting or rejecting these options. Many Texans discount the overall economic drain air pollution has on each person. When voting to "tax" themselves more for rail, many will think only in terms of whether they personally will use the rail. The bill needs to allow municipalities within a county to exercise the funding options through approval by the voters in their municipality as well as counties to use the option through approval by the majority of the voters in the county.
13. All exemption should be defined in the text of the bill so it does not impose too great a burden on the middle class.
14. Public transit authorities should not have to operate on the same terms as potential private partners in competing for these contracts.

Local area mayoral and council seats up for May 10th Election

The Dallas Morning News - Sunday, February 10, 2008

Here's a look at other selected mayoral and council seats up for election May 10:


•Arlington: Four of the nine council seats are up for election. Veteran at-large members Steve McCollum and Ron Wright, the mayor pro tem, have said they don't intend to run. The other incumbents up for re-election are Mel LeBlanc and Sheri Capehart.


•Duncanville: The balance of power could shift if the mayor's seat or the District 2 council seat changes hands. Mayor David Green and District 2 council member Scott Cannon routinely vote together when the council splits 4-3. Both plan to run again, as does one of their opponents, District 4 member Deborah Hodge.


•Flower Mound: Mayor Jody Smith is expected to seek a third term. In Place 2, Planning and Zoning Board member Steve Dixon is running, and incumbent Al Filodoro has indicated he probably will, too. In Place 4, incumbent Laurie Long isn't running; Planning and Zoning Board member Jean Levenick is expected to run.


•Garland: The council seats held by Douglas Athas in District 1, Laura Perkins Cox in District 2, Larry Jeffus in District 4 and Jackie Feagin in District 5 are up for election. All four incumbents are expected to run again.


•Grand Prairie: District 1 council member Lee Herring has said he won't run again. At-large member Ruthe Jackson and District 3 member Bill Thorn have said they will.


•Highland Village: Mayor Dianne Costa faces a challenge from Fred Busche, who left the council last year because of term limits. The two have sparred in the past over development projects at the FM2499-FM407 intersection. Two open council seats also are up for election: In Place 2, Don Combs can't run because of term limits, and in Place 6, Scott McDearmont has said he won't run again.


•Lancaster: Five-term Mayor Joe Tillotson's decision not to run has prompted District 5 council member Clyde Hairston to declare for the seat. The District 2, 4, 5 and 6 seats will also be up for election.


•Lewisville: Two council seats are up for election. Place 1 representative Lathan Watts plans to run again, and Place 3 incumbent Greg Tierney said he's leaning toward doing so. No challengers have surfaced.


•Park Cities: The mayors and all council seats are up for election. In University Park, all the incumbents but Harry Shawver (term limits) can run again. In Highland Park, Mayor Bill White and council members Andy Smith and Webber Beall face term limits, but Gail Madden, George Reynolds and Bruce "Smokey" Swenson are eligible to run again.


•Plano: Three council seats are up for election. Incumbents Loretta Ellerbe in Place 3 and Harry LaRosiliere in Place 5 are seeking re-election. In Place 1, term limits will keep Shep Stahel from running again.


•Rockwall: Three council seats will be on the ballot. Incumbents Stephen Straughan in Place 2, Cliff Sevier in Place 4 and Margo Nielsen in Place 6 have said they plan to seek re-election.
Read more in the Dallas Morning News

I-30 in Grand Pairie to Close for Bridge work at NW 19th Street

TxDOT - June 12, 2007

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will close eastbound and westbound Interstate 30 (I-30) at NW 19th Street in Grand Prairie to allow for the setting of precast concrete panels on the bridge beams.

I-30 at NW 19th Street will close from 8 p.m. Saturday, June 16, to 6 a.m. Sunday, June 17. Precast concrete panels will be set on the southbound frontage road of State Highway 161 (SH 161) underpass during this time. Traffic will be reduced to one lane and directed onto the overpass ramps at NW 19th Street to allow motorists to bypass the construction.

“This work is important because it provides for the placement of concrete pavement on the bridge and will ultimately lead to opening the bridge to traffic,” said Tony Payberah, assistant area engineer for the Southwest Dallas Area Office.
NEWS RELEASE
Message boards announcing the roadway closure have been placed in both directions along I-30 to notify the public of the scheduled closures. Law enforcement will also be present to help with traffic control.

This construction work is part of phase one of a $28 million project to construct a five-level interchange at I-30 and SH 161, which has a tentative completion date of March 2008. The contractor for this project is Texas Sterling Construction, L.P, of Grand Prairie.

The work will take place weather permitting.

TxDOT Public Hearing for Lake Ridge Parkway July 10

TxDOT - June 12, 2007

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will conduct a public hearing on the proposed widening and extension of Lake Ridge Pkwy. from south of Great Southwest Pkwy./High Hawk Blvd. to Interstate 20 (I-20) on Tuesday, July 10, at West Elementary School, located at 2911 Kingswood Blvd. in Grand Prairie. The hearing will begin with an open house at 6 p.m. followed by a presentation at 7 p.m. A public comment session will be held after the presentation.

During the event, TxDOT representatives will discuss the widening of Lake Ridge Pkwy. in Dallas and Tarrant Counties for a distance of approximately 2 miles, to enhance the regional transportation system by improving mobility and the connectivity with roadways in the southern Dallas-Fort Worth Region.

Proposed enhancements to the project would widen Lake Ridge Pkwy’s existing four-lane, divided urban roadway to a six-lane, divided curb and gutter roadway with left-turn lanes at selected intersections. Also, it is being proposed to extend Lake Ridge Pkwy. from north of Polo Road to the south frontage road of I-20, adding approximately 25.1 acres of additional right-of-way.

The environmental document, maps, drawings and other project information will be on display at the hearing. This and other information are available for viewing and copying at the TxDOT Southwest Dallas County Area Office, located at 1424 High Meadows Way in Cedar Hill, and at the TxDOT Dallas District Office, located at 4777 East Highway 80 in Mesquite.

Information concerning the Relocation and Assistance Program, as well as, services and benefits available to displacees can be obtained from either of the TxDOT offices.