The John Carona Local-Option Bill May Get a Vote Today

by: Todd Hill

Wed Apr 08, 2009 at 11:14 AM CDT

SB-855 would empower municipalities and/or counties to increase taxes, issue bonds, or create new fees and penalties in order to pay for local transportation projects.  I've said before that I'm listening.  It's an alternative plan to public-private-partnership toll schemes that line the pockets of Perry's pals and foreign-owned companies---projects that are now being funded with our federal stimulus dollars, and which amount to an inexcusable means of building transportation infrastructure.  

The fact is that I don't know how the North Texas delegation will be able to sell this initiative to their constituents.  I'd like to see if they truly come back to their districts and campaign for the Local-Option myself. The idea of raising taxes during an economic recession will go over like a lead balloon with voters-especially in Texas.  The idea of additional penalties when renewing your registration or drivers license might be a back door legislators could slip through but I'm not convinced enough money to fund transportation projects would be generated without additional taxation and continued reliance on the P-3 concept.  Bonds have been, and always will be, an option for transportation projects.  The state has issued billions in bonds as of November of 2007 for transportation projects but continue to cut up the Trans-Texas Corridor into little construction pieces and selling the rights of managing that infrastructure to Spain.

Politicians are going to have to muster the political will to begin talking about ways to increase revenue to this state in general, but how about getting our own fiscal house in order before new tax burdens?  We can't continue and do the politically popular thing that gets you elected and constantly talk about cutting taxes, only to create new tax burdens on small businesses and mainstream Texans to pay for the needs of our state.  This Local-Option bill calls for the consideration of increasing sales taxes.  At a time when cities in Northeast Tarrant County like Southlake are losing 22% in sales tax revenue, or Bedford which lost 4%?  Sales taxes are a regressive tax on main street Texans.  What about tending to our federal and state gas tax dollars first?  We need the maximum amount per dollar generated spent in Texas on Texas transportation projects.  In addition, how about transitioning the operating budget of TxDOT from the gas tax fund and to the general tax revenue budget, which would begin to maximize gas tax dollars for actual transportation projects?  Lets clean up our fiscal house first before pursuing legislation that local voters aren't likely to support, and politicians probably aren't willing to sell back home in their districts.