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Follow TURFPassing the buck? TxDOT wants to off-load maintenance to cities instead of cut costs
In the recently passed legislation HB 1, the Legislature spoke loud and clear that it expects TxDOT to find $100 million through cost savings and efficiencies, not reduce allocations for road projects (and that would seem to include basic road maintenance projects as well). Yet as reported by the Associated Press in both the Dallas Morning News and Texas Tribune, TxDOT will consider passing the buck for finding $100 million in efficiencies to cities by forcing them to pick-up the tab for road maintenance in their jurisdictions.
Texas plans urban highway upkeep shift to cities
The Associated Press
Published: Saturday, Aug. 17, 2013
DALLAS -- State transportation officials are discussing a shift of responsibility for maintaining nearly 1,900 miles of urban highways in 59 cities to those cities' governments.
The Dallas Morning News reports the Texas Transportation Commission will discuss the proposal on Aug. 29. The newspaper reports the shift would force the city governments to absorb $165 million each year in new costs.
The legislature passed a bill this month that requires the commission to cut state highway spending by $100 million.
Texas Municipal League Executive Director Bennett Sandlin says the plan is would increase property taxes sharply for urban homeowners and businesses. He calls it a state "gimmick" to avoid the duty of providing an adequate highway system.
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Link to article here.
City officials oppose TxDOT road plan
By Kevin Welch
August 21, 2013
Amarillo.com
A state plan to turn the maintenance of about 27 miles of state roads in Amarillo over to the city is not popular locally or with other cities in similar positions.
“Are we, on a public policy level, willing to accept this?” City Manager Jarrett Atkinson asked at Tuesday’s city commission work session. The answer was a unanimous, simultaneous “no.”
“I don’t see the sense in letting this get out of the gate,” he responded.
TxDOT sees the situation differently.
“Discussions are ongoing, and seem to be progressing,” TxDOT spokesman Mark Cross said. “Our TxDOT Amarillo representatives are working with local officials to come up with a satisfactory solution for all.”
The Texas Transportation Commission, the governing body of the Texas Department of Transportation, will meet Thursday to hear more suggestions from its staff on the proposal.
“There is no set timeline for implementation, since this is still just a discussion,” Cross said.
The state’s practice when taking a road off its maintenance system is to give the road and right of way to the city or county it is in. TxDOT wants to do that with about 6,900 lane-miles of roads across the state.
Two miles of a two-lane road equals four lane miles.
“Those lane miles are non-freeways that are not integral parts of our statewide connective system, if you will, they play more of a local road responsibility and function,” said John Barton, deputy executive director of TxDOT, according to the workshop transcript. “And if you were to ask a citizen in those communities ... is this a highway or a city street, they would most likely say it’s a city street.”
The goal is to save $165 million or more by doing the same thing in cities across the state, according to the transcript of a Transportation Commission workshop on June 26, but Cross said “there are no cost-savings estimates at this point.”
Local taxpayers would pay for the savings.
“They’re passing it down to local government again,” Commissioner Lilia Escajeda said.
Amarillo won’t be the only city objecting.
“We are strenuously opposed to this unconscionable, unfunded mandate. These are state highways and the state should pay,” said Bennett Sandlin, executive director of the Texas Municipal League. “I’ve heard from many, many city officials who will attend that meeting or file comments. Our mayors hate the idea.”
While the state may save $165 million annually, it is probably not an even-cost shift from the TxDOT budget to city budgets because an equal amount of maintenance may cost cities more.
“TxDOT enjoys economies of scale that cities can never have,” Sandlin said.
TML filed an open records request with TxDOT to get a map of proposed roads to be converted in various cities including Amarillo and provided a copy to AGN Media.
Some of the roads in Amarillo or its extra-territorial jurisdiction that are involved include Tascosa Road/Farm-to-Market Road 1061 from West Amarillo Boulevard northwest to Loop 335, Southwest Sixth Avenue, Airport Boulevard, River Road, Western Street from West Amarillo Boulevard north to Loop 335, Broadway Drive from 24th Avenue north to Loop 335, Southeast 10th Avenue/Hwy. 395 from Buchanan Street east to Interstate 40 and South Washington Street from Interstate 27 south to Loop 335.
In a letter to Mayor Paul Harpole, TxDOT Executive Director Phil Wilson said the plan would be good for Amarillo because it would increase local control.
“Some benefits to local jurisdictions include the ability to control driveway access, speed limits, on-street parking and road closures, and the ability to control maintenance scheduling that is more responsive to the needs of local residents and businesses,” he wrote.