02.09.10
Posted in Central Texas, Cronyism, Road Issues, Transportation, Williamson County at 10:44 am by wcnews
Ben Wear has the story, Toll road agency lawyer resigns after bar suspension. Land deal gone bad apparently. The most illuminating thing about the CTRMA in the story is the vetting process for their high ranking employees.
Mobility authority Executive Director Mike Heiligenstein, whose friendship with Nielson goes back two decades to when their children played youth sports together, said he knew nothing about the disputed land deal between Nielson and Wilson.
“It was never brought up during his employment, or before that during the interview process,” Heiligenstein said. “He obviously thought it had been worked out.”
In 2005 Texas Comptroller released a scathing report on the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA), A Need For A Higher Standard, some of which was summarized in the AusChron at the time.
…the Regional Mobility Authority, appointed by regional county commissioners with the approval of the Texas Transportation Commission – the first of several planned RMAs around the state – is an ill-conceived and -executed agency, marked by organizational deficiencies, inadequate accountability to voters, and insufficient safeguards against corruption. Moreover, Strayhorn’s audit found what the report describes as sloppy management practices, apparent “favoritism and self-enrichment” in the appointments to the RMA, excessive budgeting for marketing, and instances of lax expenditure controls (e.g., sloppy handling of expense accounts).
And they have since instituted automatic annual toll increases as well, Unelected CTRMA board votes to raise toll taxes on 183-A.
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02.05.10
Posted in Around The State, Privatization, Road Issues, Taxes, Transportation at 11:00 am by wcnews
Sen. Bob Deuell (R-Greenville) is the latest elected Republican to come out in favor of raising the gas tax. Via the DMN Another GOP senator supports gas-tax increase …
Nevertheless, Greenville’s Bob Deuell told members of our editorial board this week that he would support a one-time boost of 10 cents a gallon in the motor fuels tax — the same increase that Republican John Carona of Dallas has called for.
Deuell has shown in the past that he can be more reasonable than some in his party. We’re still not there yet, but we’re getting closer to the where enough elected politicians will finally recognize, what many of us have known for a while - that an increase, and indexing of the gas tax is the best way to pay for roads in Texas. It’s a tough sell but not impossible, and a skilled politician can support it and get elected. And as long as it done in a way that tax payers are assured the money is going for roads, it is politically feasible.
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02.04.10
Posted in Around The State, Commentary, Privatization, Road Issues, Transportation at 11:42 am by wcnews
As has been reported here – over and over again – TxDOT has done, and continues to do, a bad job of talking to the public on the issue of transportation. Today at the Texas Tribune there’s an interesting article, and video snippet, of a talk with Transportation Commissioner Bill Meadows, A Hard Road. The end of the article shows that TxDOT, or at least Meadows, still doesn’t get it. Here’s his take on the what went wrong with the TTC:
And when staffers do try to do something innovative, he says, the Legislature doesn’t give them a chance.
Take the Trans-Texas Corridor: The effort to create a new approach to statewide travel has been universally bashed for its infringement on private property and its reliance on toll roads — so much so that Perry, its biggest promoter, has abandoned the project. “Did Trans-Texas fail because of bad process,” Meadows asks, “or because it was a bad idea? It has caused this agency to be criticized and damned, but that doesn’t mean the efforts are bad.”
If lawmakers aren’t going to allow for creative ways to find revenue, Meadows says, then it makes the agency’s relationships with them all the more important. The Legislature is “far and away” the best place to secure funds, he says. “I’ve never forgotten that.”
First characterizing the TTC as a project where TxDOT staffers did something innovative and the legislature didn’t give them a chance with is wrong. The TTC was a top down project that was attempted to be forced onto Texans by Perry and was sneaked through the legislature (see HB 3588), and wasn’t. Not to mention the fact that Delisi said just this past Monday that funding is not part of TxDOT work.
Based on anticipated, long-range price hikes, the purchasing power of the state motor fuels tax — 20 cents per gallon — is declining, Delisi said. TxDOT needs a stable source of funding, she said, though it’s not the transportation commission’s role to say where the money should come from.
It wasn’t TxDOT staffers so-called “innovative plan” that was the problem. It was the sneaky way that those who concocted this plan – Perry, Ric Williamson, Mike Krusee – tried to shove it down the public’s throat without their input that caused the TTC so many problems. If Perry and TxDOT would have started this whole converstaion, years ago, travelling the state and getting Texans inuput, instead of travelling the state, after their plan was complete, telling Texans what they had already decided for them, there likely would have been a different result.
But what the intereview with Meadows shows is that the TxDOT commissioners still don’t get it.
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02.03.10
Posted in Around The State, Privatization, Road Issues, Transportation at 12:44 pm by wcnews
Public hearing turned lobbyist feeding frenzy. This part sums up the complete inanity of the entire transportation funding debate over the last 8 – 10 years.
Defending the indefensible
Though the Texas Conservative Coalition echoed many of the same sentiments, its Director, John Colyandro, was taken to task by Chairman Senator John Carona for advocating the most expensive road tax while rejecting a more affordable gas tax increase. “How is that conservative?” asked Carona.
While Colyandro stopped short of endorsing Rick Perry’s position of having all new capacity being toll lanes handed over to foreign corporations that charge 75 cents PER MILE to use public roads, he did advocate that private toll roads have a legitimate role as part of a mix of both toll and non-toll roads.
Earlier in the hearing, Carona laid down the gauntlet asking, “I’m looking for someone to come and defend to me that a privately built toll road is less expensive than a free road ’cause it just ain’t so.” While Colyandro and many of the lobbyists and local politicians asked for the moratorium on private toll roads be lifted and remain “one of the tools in the tool box,” none could defend how that funding “option” was more affordable than a gas tax increase. Because it isn’t. It’s rather telling when even a so-called anti-tax advocate lobbies for the most expensive road funding option, but outright rejects the most affordable one. [Emphasis added].
Corporate toll roads are the most expensive for drivers – because of profits, guaranteed profits in many contracts – much more expensive than raising the gas tax. Read her whole report, and she also agrees that the TTC is very much alive. Also be sure to read TURF’s oral testimony [.pdf] and written testimony [.pdf].
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02.02.10
Posted in Around The State, Commentary, Privatization, Road Issues, Transportation at 6:00 am by wcnews
From this SAEN article, Legislators debate road funding, it looks like it was an interesting, in a good way, joint hearing on transpiration yesterday. It certainly looks like Sen. John Carona (R-Dallas) gets it.
Texas lawmakers on Monday hammered home that without a new funding method, the Texas Department of Transportation will be unable to build any new roads beyond 2012 and will not have enough money to properly maintain existing roads within two to three years.
They also demonstrated that finding a new funding solution they can agree on won’t be easy.
Legislators on the Senate Committee on Transportation and Homeland Security and the House Committee on Transportation grappled with the use of “public-private partnerships” and comprehensive development agreements, or CDAs, that in some cases privatize toll roads.
Senate chairman John Carona, R-Dallas, chastised language often associated with toll roads — that drivers can “choose” to use them. Carona said it’s “disingenuous” to say drivers will have an option if the only way to fund new road construction is by tolling them.
“If every new road going forward is a toll road, that’s no choice,” he said.
GOP TxDOT chair Deirdre Delisi was quoted as saying in the article, a couple of times, that TxDOT has nothing to do with the decision of how money is raised for roads, that’s up to the legislature.
Looking into other potential sources of dollars, Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, asked Texas Transportation Commission Chairwoman Deirdre Delisi whether her board, appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to oversee TxDOT, supported an increase in the gas tax — something Perry has said he opposes. Delisi said it’s not the commission’s role to determine how much the gas tax should be increased — that’s the legislature’s job.
Increasing the gas tax has been a political hot potato, but it’s an issue that’s gaining traction among lawmakers. It’s unclear, however, what chance it will stand during the 2011 legislative session.
What is clear is that lawmakers say they know something must be done to address the funding shortfalls. Based on anticipated, long-range price hikes, the purchasing power of the state motor fuels tax — 20 cents per gallon — is declining, Delisi said. TxDOT needs a stable source of funding, she said, though it’s not the transportation commission’s role to say where the money should come from.
The only stable source of funding is the gas tax. Which everyone should know by now hasn’t been raised in almost two decades, so of course it’s “purchasing power” has declined. The neglect has gotten so bad, that as this KVUE report states, even “..leaders of some of the biggest businesses in Texas told Senate and House committee members they’re on board too” with raising the gas tax. Most business leaders understand that roads help drive the economy and that the gas tax is the best funding option to pay for roads.
But as Texas TURF’s Terri Hall states:
Terri Hall — founder of the grassroots, anti-toll Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom — told the committees that her organization supports a statewide gas tax increase, but with certain expectations.
“What we the taxpayers cannot allow is a gas tax hike, in addition to the continuation of toll proliferation,” she said. “What we observe is a push for a gas tax increase in order to have more money to borrow against for yet more toll roads.”
I would amend that just a bit. While the gas tax should be the main source of road funding, that doesn’t mean no toll roads. (No corporate toll roads for sure). But toll roads can work in specific circumstances, and should need the support of the people where they will be built. Stopping diversions can help too, but that alone won’t come anywhere close to making up the billions that are needed. And raising fees can help some as well. But what we all have to realize, finally, is that raising the gas tax, and itemizing it to inflation, is the only way we can make up for the neglect of nearly 20 years. And it’s unlikely that electing another Republican governor will do anything to change this.
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01.27.10
Posted in 2010 Primary, Around The State, Bad Government Republicans, Commentary, Privatization, Road Issues, Transportation at 6:00 am by wcnews
DMN political writer Wayne Slater wrote an article yesterday about Kay Bailey Hutchison’s campaign donations from a corporation that builds toll roads.
Kay Bailey Hutchison has railed against the Trans-Texas Corridor, but she counts one of the state’s premiere toll-road builders among her major financial contributors.
Bartell Zachry, whose San Antonio-based construction company partnered with the Spanish company Cintra to develop the multi-billion transportation project, gave Hutchison $25,000, according to a campaign finance report filed with the state.
Hutchison campaign spokeswoman Jen Baker said the senator was happy to accept money from the toll-road builder, even though she has denounced the Trans-Texas Corridor as a land grab and has pledged to curb toll-road construction if she’s elected governor. [Emphasis added].
Notice it says “curb”, not end toll road construction. But the most illuminating analysis of this article are competing GOP’er blogs on this.
First a pro-KBH blog shows where Perry stands, Watch Your Tenses.
Rick’s spokesman responded to this development with a disturbing choice of words:
Perry campaign spokesman Mark Miner said Hutchison is being hypocritical.
“The senator criticizes the project, yet she has no hesitation taking money from the company building the project,” Miner said.
“Building the project”?
Don’t you mean “that was going to build the project”?
Because the Trans-Texas Corridor is “dead”… Right?
RIGHT????
And here’s the pro-Rick take on the Kay’s corporate cash.
Here is my theory on what happened here… Rick’s TTC already got shot down… so the company that was to have built the TTC is thinking the only way to get it built is with a different governor who also believes in the project… but the new governor will be able to roll it out better than Rick did in terms of public relations. Let’s face it, Rick’s peeps did as bad a job on that as anyone could ever do…
Zanchry though is thinking Kay is a blank slate and she will be able to get it through because they will be much quieter about it and just build it in pieces without a lot of fanfare… that’s why the company responsible for the Trans Texas Corridor is giving Kay such a large sum of money.
I wonder if this big donation has anything to do with Kay pulling down her advertisements about toll roads and replacing them with her border security commercials…
Ah, corporate toll roads repackaged and sold to us by KBH. All of this goes to show, that no matter which one of these two wins the GOP Primary in March, the TTC is still very much alive.
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01.19.10
Posted in Around The State, Transportation at 5:20 pm by wcnews
This shouldn’t surprise anyone, Most federal rail grants probably will bypass Texas.
But while the federal grants won’t be announced until later this month, or early February, word already has emerged that Texas’ chances of snagging much of what it has requested are slim.
This month, at a speech in Austin, a top federal rail administrator charged with managing the distribution of the new grants said Texas’ application lacks the kind of political support from the governor and the Legislature that would help it compete against other states where that support has been stronger.
“There has been no central vision, no common vision for rail in Texas,” said Karen Rae, deputy commissioner for the Federal Railroad Administration. “And that kind of vision, that kind of support from the political leadership, is critical to success in our program.”
It’s not like Perry would take the money anyway. Maybe this is a secession preview? How about a PPP for rail in Texas? It’s unlikely that Texas will accept any federal funding it doesn’t have to take as long as Perry is running for reelection.
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01.08.10
Posted in Around The Nation, Around The State, Commentary, Privatization, Transportation at 5:06 pm by wcnews
Former Bush Transportation Secretary Mary Peters has had a couple of noteworthy things to say at his week’s Texas Transportation Forum. The first reported by the DMN was that she’s all for Texas getting back in the corporate toll road business.
“That moratorium on public private partnerships should be removed,” she said. “The state of Texas should put that in abeyance. Restoring (private toll roads) here in Texas could show the federal government that you are really serious about tackling your own transportation problems.”
[...]
Peters is now a paid consultant — or “senior adviser” — to Zachry American Infrastructure, a private toll road (and other infrastructure) developer affiliated with Zachry Construction, a Texas construction company founded in 1924.
Former head of USDOT, now a lobbyists for a road building corporation, thinks Texas should get back to building corporate toll roads. That’s not very shocking, is it?
But beyond that she also thinks the reason why we can’t find solutions for transportation funding is because those she thinks matter most to fix this crisis, lawmakers and voters, haven’t come around yet to believing were in a crisis.
Probably the most interesting thing that former Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said yesterday was that the reason efforts to convince Congress and Texas lawmakers alike to get serious about providing long-term solutions to transportation is that lawmakers, like voters, have not yet accepted as true claims that we are in the midst of a transportation crisis.
Until they do, she said, no serious change — and that includes no serious discussion of new revenues or taxes — will take place. And lawmakers won’t believe it’s a crisis until voters do.
[...]
The problem is, most folks get to where they want to go just fine: The roads are more or less smooth, the bridges don’t collapse (other than that one in Minneapolis) and the water comes on when you turn on your faucet. Where’s the crisis?
Truth is, most people experience the transportation crisis as a commuter irked by traffic jams — but most of us even get use to those over time, and as long as they are steadily worse, and not suddenly worse, we don’t get crazed about it.
Instead, the more immediate “crisis” for most Texas drivers is the one affecting their wallets — the higher tolls and sometimes higher gas prices.
What she’s saying is that in her opinion roads can’t be fixed – with corporate toll roads – until everyone realizes we’re in a crisis. I think someone wrote a book about that. As a commenter noted at the DMN:
Privatization contracts often forbid the public from improving nearby roads or force taxpayers to pay private toll road operators if policies will interfere with maximizing their profits from tolls. Furthermore, according to testimony given by the federal Government Accountability Office regarding private toll roads, “there is no ‘free’ money in public-private partnerships and it is likely that tolls on a privately operated highway will increase to a greater extent than they would on a publicly operated toll road” (GAO-08-44).
But we once had a real crisis in this country and a plan was put into place that not only built needed infrastructure, but created jobs. It can be done again, Roosevelt created 4 million jobs in one month. The most interesting part of this is what Roosevelt’s work at giving work to so many Americans wound up doing for Democrats:
Here’s a bit of history for you: 1934 was the last midterm congressional election when the Democrats gained seats in Congress with a Democrat in the White House.
The numbers are simply incredible! According to the Wikipedia page on the party composition of Congress, the Democrats went from 217 seats in the 72nd Congress, to 313 seats in the 73rd Congress! The Republicans were decimated, losing nearly half their 217 seats in the 72nd Congress to only 117 seats in the 73rd Congress! And it got even better in the Presidential election cycle: 322 Democrats in the 74th Congress, versus the Republicans at 103 seats.
The same trend occurred in the Senate: the Democrats grew from 47 Senators, to 59 Senators, to 69 Senators, while the Republicans shrank from 48, to 36, to 25.
So, see, a crash jobs program even makes for great political strategy.
If it’s a crisis let’s fix it. There no reason to send the corporations in to make it worse.
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01.07.10
Posted in 2010 Primary, Around The State, Bad Government Republicans, Commentary, Election 2010, Privatization, Road Issues, Transportation at 12:51 pm by wcnews
There are vast opportunities for Democrats to draw stark lines between how they will govern differently than the GOP in Texas has. It will involve taking a few risks and changing the frame through which issues are discussed. No issue sets up better for Democrats in Texas than the one that is currently causing a snit between the two top GOP candidates for Governor of Texas – the neglect of transportation funding in Texas.
The neglect of our transportation system in Texas, since the GOP takeover, is a great example of how Republicans are unable to govern in Texas. As Eliot Shapleigh has done so well of documenting in his book, Getting out of…Grover’s Tub. In this chapter called, “Pit Bulls on the Turnpike“:
In Texas, 77,000 miles of state and federal highways have been constructed since the Texas Highway Department was created in 1917. Our road and bridge system was once described as the crown jewel of the 50 states. But after fifteen long years of Grover Norquist-style leadership, Texas highways are now a mess.
Nearly a quarter of a century ago, a handful of lawmakers embraced this philosophy, calling themselves the “Pit Bulls.” They set out to cut taxes for the wealthy, and then cut budgets for Texas. One key mantra of the Pit Bulls was to privatize whatever government function or service possible. Years later, dozens of House members signed the Norquist pledge to “never raise taxes.” Two of these Pit Bulls were Rick Perry and the late TxDOT Commission Chairman, Ric Williamson.
Today, years after the Pit Bulls first pledged to “drown” government, the Texas highway system is itself under water.
It’s clear their plan to show that government is the problem by governing bad is working. While Republican candidates in Texas – excluding, finally, state Sen. John Carona – won’t discuss raising the gas tax to pay for highways, they’ve boxed themselves into a toll or nothing solution in an attempt to fix transportation funding in Texas. They’ll try and tell us that bringing home more of our Federal dollars can fill the gap. If that didn’t change when Bush, Hutchison, Cornyn, etc… were in D.C. it’s not going to happen anytime soon. Also the GOP has been unable to stop diversions because that’s what’s kept them from having to raise taxes. (Though all fees in Texas have skyrocketed since the GOP took over in Texas). Again from Shapeligh:
What happened here? Diversion happened. Grover’s disciples diverted highway money to pay for other budget needs. Approximately $2.9 billion of gas tax money designated for roads is diverted every biennium to pay for “other services.” For example, $1.144 billion goes to fund the Department of Public Safety, and another 25% of the gas tax goes to pay for public schools. Another $100 million goes toward buying helicopters and other equipment to patrol border counties, and even the Commission of the Arts gets $1.34 million. Over 10 years, more than $11.2 billion has been diverted from the highway fund to pay for other things.
Shackled by their no-new tax pledge, Norquist’s Pit Bulls rob from Peter to pay Paul. Without courage to identify clear needs, raise revenues and fund the basic needs of a growing state, they simply rearrange the deck chairs using existing revenues. And that’s why Texas highways are in Grover’s tub today.
While Hutchison and Perry are getting the tradmed’s attention for brawling over transportation, it’s not doing either of them any good. Hutchison seems to be fighting with the same ammo that was used in 2006 (Kill the TTC, stop diversions, keep fed $$), and that won’t do her much good. And Perry just doing the saying the same thing, and promising nothing.
Where the Democrats must change the game is by going back and explaining to the public how our state’s great roads of the past were funded and kept up. The vast majority of Texans don’t have a problem paying for roads with tax money. Those who can’t see that building a good transpiration infrastructure is something that benefits all Texans are in the minority. Hank Gilbert’s transportation plan is easily the best plan that’s been put forth in this state in decades to pay for roads. Let’s hope the eventual Democratic nominee will take up a similar plan and seize the opportunity to change the direction of our state’s government.
Using issues like transportation to show how the Texas GOP’s philosophy of government is fatally flawed can only help Democrats in the future.
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12.30.09
Posted in 2010 Primary, Around The State, Commentary, Election 2010, Privatization, Road Issues, Transportation at 2:01 pm by wcnews
The big story out of GOP gubernatorial hopeful Kay Bailey Hutchison’s transportation “plan” she released yesterday was that while full of rehashed and previously discussed ideas, she appears ready to continue the funding neglect of the last two decades. Oh, bless her heart. Her plan is much of what was debated last session while TxDOT was under Sunset review. And while surely there’s some waste and abuse at TxDOT it’s likely not near enough to make up for the almost two decades of neglect by the Texas GOP.
The Scoop has the full take down, Oh, that’s pretty sweet, Senator!.
Well, it would appear that our very senior Senator released her little transportation plan today. To yawns and stifled laughter. Some of the ideas were recycled from the the plan Hank released during his race for Governor. You may remember it… it’s the only one released so far that actually addresses the problem of transportation planning and finance without putting our children in hock.Of course, given that it was Senator Hutchison, it was inevitable that she would decide to kick the can down the road and let your children and grandchildren deal with debt and obligations we’ll be piling up. After all, she’s been doing it for years in DC.
[...]
Oh, She also wants some rail but it was more an afterthought than a proposal and no real funding ideas were presented. We at The Scoop give it a great big FAIL for, frankly, being as worthless as our senior Senator.
Hutchison’s plan involves creating a task force, to study inefficiencies, among other things, via the DMN:
Continue the use of private toll roads, but with more public scrutiny and without provisions that unfairly push drivers to use them.
Don’t increase gas taxes without proof an increase is needed and wouldn’t be wasted.
Appoint a task force to examine how the Texas Department of Transportation uses tax dollars and to eliminate inefficiencies.
Expand the five-member Texas Transportation Commission to nine members, providing other areas of the state more input into departmental decisions.
Reduce the power of the commission in day-to-day operations, including which roads to build and where.
Create a much stronger executive director who would act more like the CEO of transportation in Texas.
Give local planning agencies, like the Regional Transportation Agency in North Texas, a larger role in deciding how and where to spend transportation tax dollars.
Begin planning for more rail in the state’s long-term transportation future.
We’ve long ago determined that there are only two ways, currently, to pay for new roads – raise the gas tax or toll roads. Hutchison has clearly chosen toll roads. But if elected it won’t be until after her second session in office that anything would be passed to address the neglect of transportation financing in Texas.
Campaign aides confirmed that, if she were to win in November, an audit of the department could not be completed in time for Hutchison to consider any tax increase during the 2011 session.
Kay’s plan is a clunker, just kickin’ the can down the road. A road that needs to be repaved, but can’t because there’s no money. To recap Hutchison has a plan, same plan that’s been discussed for years now, that doesn’t work. And if elected, she won’t have a plan to bring in new money until her second session as Governor in 2013. That’s not leadership.
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