Gas Tax talked about … again
Education funding sits at the top of lawmakers’ minds in Austin, but transportation funding might eventually get a seat at the bargaining table.
An alliance of Texas’ largest metropolitan areas has crafted a transportation fund-raising proposal for legislators to consider while they debate public school finance methods. The key to the new measure’s political viability, supporters believe, is that it raises money for roads and rails without taking any money away from education.
Group wants to take a (tax) hike
By TONY HARTZEL / The Dallas Morning News May 1, 2004
The Texas Urban Transportation Alliance, with members from Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio, wants the Legislature to tweak the state’s gas tax policy. Education and the state motor fuels tax have been intertwined for years, with one-fourth of the state’s 20-cents-per-gallon levy going to public education. In 2003, that raised $665 million for public education.
The alliance wants lawmakers to consider a measure that would dedicate revenue from any future gas tax increases solely to transportation. All current funding would remain. In addition, the alliance wants lawmakers to consider capping the amount of gas tax that goes toward the Texas Department of Public Safety.
“We’re getting some fairly favorable feedback,” said Collin County Judge Ron Harris, one of the leaders of the transportation alliance. “We’re trying not to take anything away from education.”
Local officials have been pushing quietly for changes in transportation funding for years. Their pleas, backed by voices representing 70 percent of the state’s population, now are getting louder.
“This makes it much more easy to be heard,” Mr. Harris said of the alliance’s position. “We hope everyone takes notice. We’ve been running this past the state leadership, and no red flags have been raised yet.”
Although Gov. Rick Perry called the special session for education finance reform, local officials believe the gas tax discussion also can be considered.
“The special session calls for a reform of education finance. Because education is funded in part by the gas tax, this should be part of the discussion,” said Vic Suhm, a senior consultant with the North Texas Commission, a nonprofit group of government, education and business leaders.
In Texas, changing transportation funding can take as long to accomplish as building a project like the Dallas High Five interchange. Local leaders view the current proposal as just the first step toward raising more money for a growing list of local highway projects.
The next step could come next year. The urban transportation alliance wants the Legislature to consider two measures during its regular session. One would allow the gas tax to increase with inflation. A second measure would allow regions to hold elections for a local-option transportation tax.
If the Legislature allows the local elections, voters could then be asked to support a 5- to 10-cent-per-gallon increase in motor fuel taxes. The new revenue would pay for specific transportation projects.
Previous proposals to allow local-option transportation taxes have been unsuccessful,
“It’s an incremental thing,” said Mr. Suhm. “We’re laying the platform for a better chance to sell a gas tax increase. If this works, we can say that all the money will go to transportation, which we haven’t been able to say in the past.”