People of Texas: Here Are Your Toll Roads

Apparently Gov. Rick Perry and his special tolling interests are going to try to force toll roads on Texans even though it's been documented that they aren't needed.

It was almost 3 years ago that Gov. Perry, in a more veiled public message, actually gave the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) virtual carte blanche in developing "creative" means to increase the financial tax revenue for building and maintaining Texas roadways. The real underlying intent was to begin to initiate an aggressive toll road campaign, doing whatever it took to get the job done. Perry had already launched his own campaign for the Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC-35) that would run from Mexico up through Texas and into Oklahoma, with further plans approved by Pres. George Walker Bush that would enable the TTC to continue beyond the Canadian border.

Despite consistent and increased public resistance to the Trans-Texas Corridor and to other toll road plans, the governor vetoed HB 1892, the house bill that included a partial freeze of private toll road contracts for two years, new limits on contract provisions for such long-term leases, and measures giving local toll road agencies the first shot at turnpike construction in their areas. HB 1892 received almost unanimous support by the Senate and House mostly because of a 2-year toll moratorium part of the bill included due to the ongoing pressure applied by constituents.

Now the governor is trying to control the anti-toll tide by instead pushing forward SB 792 — a Senate bill that has eliminated part of the moratorium and that includes various and sundry issues of previous bills tacked on as a last-ditch ploy to approve other items previously bypassed, voted-down or circumvented by legislators.

Perry has stated that the reason he vetoed HB 1892 is because he doesn't like the idea of providing local government with the powers that TxDOT now has, which include developing and approving contracts with private road and/or toll companies, and that gives them the authority based on the needs of individual communities.

If Perry gets legislators to approve SB 792, it will be a victory for the ruling wealthy pro-toll minority against the wishes of the majority of Texas voters.

Rep. Lois Kolkhurst provided legislators with Amendment 13 and an amendment to the amendment, which attempts to generate more protection for Texans with regards to reintroducing the moratorium on various and prospective toll plans.

In conclusion, one issue must be very clear to legislators and voters: Since it has been documented that toll roads and gas tax increases are not needed to build and maintain Texas roadways, a clear anti-toll signal must be sent to the governor and his pro-toll "Lieutenants" in the legislature.

Consequently, if legislators approve SB 792, several factors should occur prior to giving that approval:

• The current version needs an amendment that assures Texas communities that the 2-year moratorium is included — if not Rep. Kolkurst's Amendment 13 and its amendment to the amendment, then the original moratorium language that had been part of HB 1892 and that had been overwhelming approved by both Senate and House.
• The excess legislative "baggage" that is tacked on to SB 792 that have nothing to do with tolls, planning of toll roads, their financing, etc. needs to be eliminated.
• TxDOT's current powers need to be restricted, and more independent oversight should be provided to the state agency.
• Local communities should be given some authority so that they have a say regarding any future toll roadways in their districts.

Otherwise, Texans will remain under the dominating rule of the Texas Department of Transportation, which should not have the unilateral powers of determining future road plans and policies without the input of Texas voters. Texans do not want to be double-taxed for their roadways and do not want private toll road companies like CINTRA to gain lucrative 60-year cost-ineffective (for taxpayers) toll contracts that will ensure that our children's grandchildren will continue to pay infinite toll taxes.