After talking to a couple of folks, I realized that I should preface
this with some background.

1. In the 2001 the TX Lege passed various laws related to the 'Texas
Mobility Fund'. One of them created it, others funded it.

Funding over the last two years is via some new motorist fines which
were created, w/three existing fees going to the State's general
fund. The plan was to swap the fees this September (to the benefit
of the TMF). Currently the TMF has about $150 million in it (from
those fees) and is expected to pull in another $300 million in the
next two years (after the planned switch).

(The idea is that the TX Dept of Transportation (TxDOT) would issue
bonds for toll construction using the TMF funds as collateral.)

Lt. Gov. Dewhurst's proposal is to not do the swap and instead put
the money toward school funding (last year a Texas court ruled
that the state's funding of education if unconstitutional so we're in
a bit of a crisis education funding-wise. Two bills to address that
in this session would raise the sales tax by 1% (to 7% - highest I
think in the nation) and put a cap on a *portion* of the property tax
rate which local school districts assess on their citizens. While TX
school property taxes are also I believe some of the highest in the
nation, the net effect will be to give tax break to earners with
income > $100,000 and put the squeeze on those making less, kinda a
'reverse Robin Hood' plan (Robin Hood is the unofficial name for the
plan the Lege came up w/in the 90s to take money from so-called
property wealthy districts and send it to less wealthy districts. A
couple of years ago I read that the Austin ISD was sending close to
half of their budget out of AISD)).

2. Since the state's gas tax has not been increased since 1990 or
1991, the amount of available TxDOT dollars is sufficient for only
about 30-35% of needed funds for new road construction and
maintenance. Rep. Mike Krusee has a bill pending which would index
the gas tax to the Consumer Price Index (I think, could be another
index). Not a bad idea considering that a) there more SUVs on the
road now than in 1990 (both in relative and absolute terms; more wear
& tear due to larger vehicles) and b) non-SUVs are more fuel
efficient (use less gas - less tax).

Rep. Bonnens's plan would thus effectively further impair TxDOT's
ability to keep up w/maintenance and construction.

So we get taxed so we can build roads which we can then have the
privilege of paying to use. Sweet.

3. Some folks in the Austin area are plenty POed due to 'toll road
conversions'. This is where a road is built using gas tax dollars
and then converted to a toll road. Rep. Bonnens's plan would thus
skip the conversion part and just take the money.

4. Some of these same folks are also torqued because the state rammed
through something like 12 (?, later dropped to 9?) toll roads for the
Central Texas area last year. The talk was "if you don't agree to
build toll roads, we'll take this money (from the TMF) and give it to
other regions which will". After the Capital Area Metro Planning
Organization (CAMPO, the regional body charged with transportation
planning in Central Texas) rolled over, it later came out that we
were snookered e.g. *no one* and I mean *no one* had as many planned
toll roads.

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March 31, 2005

To the Editors,

I read with interest Ben Wear's reporting Thursday of Lt. Gov.
Dewhurst's proposal to raid the Texas Mobility Fund for school
funding and Rep. Dennis Bonnens's plan to raid gas tax revenue for
the Texas Mobility Fund [1].

Several thoughts come to mind:

1. It would be more efficient to simply raid the gas tax revenue for
schools, no need for two bills when one would do.

2. While I commend Rep. Bonnens's desire for fiscal efficiency in
raiding the gas tax for toll roads (instead of building the roads and
then converting them) I think these gentlemen need to 'step up to the
plate' and create a bill to privatize the State of Texas instead of
these half-hearted measures.

Regards,
Brendan

1. "Dewhurst looks to toll roads for school money", Ben Wear, Austin American-Statesman, March 31, 2005
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