Part of the current controversy over tax increment financing in San Antonio has to do with a type of development called New Urbanism. The San Antonio’s master plan and unified development code aim to encourage New Urbanist development, and Mayor Ed Garza regards such projects as desirable enough to merit public incentives, including tax increment financing, to help developers pay for public infrastructure. Continued…
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The Texas House has passed both House Bills 3185 and 3343 as well as amending the Trans Texas Corridor bill, HB 3588, to include the full text of both HB 3185 and HB 3343. The three measures have been sent to the Texas Senate for action. House Bill 3185 gives the transportation commission to determine a new funding formula for small urban and rural transit agencies as well as to detemine the division of funds between small urban and rural areas. Among other things, House Bill 3343 provides the same blanket formula powers to the transportation commission along with provisions transferring health and human services transportation programming to TxDOT. For more information on these bills, see the Texas Legislature “Online”:http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/ and access each bill’s “Engrossed” version.
Montgomery County is on the map for a future light rail line. But for now, it is only a dotted line marking a potential route beyond 2025. “We are on the map,” said County Judge Alan B. Sadler. “I’m glad to see the major suburbs on the map, not just the inner city or inside the loop. My goal is accomplished by getting on the map for the intermediate future.”
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The Bush administration on Wednesday unveiled a plan to spend $247 billion over six years on highways, rails and other types of transportation. But the proposal is far less than the $375 billion that a bipartisan group of congressional leaders say is needed. The President proposed a 2 percent increase in transit spending. The full Administration Proposal can ber found on the US Transportation Department “website”:http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reauthorization/.
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Aiming to have buses running in Odessa and Midland by Oct. 1, members of the Midland-Odessa Urban Transit District Board held their first meeting, buying 19 buses and leasing a headquarters building.
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Rep. Don Young, the brusque transportation honcho of the House, yesterday indirectly assailed the House leadership for pushing for tax cuts at the expense of an overhaul of the nation’s highway system that would create more jobs.
Young, who chairs the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, argued that his plan to increase highway funding significantly would act as an economic tonic.
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