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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Resolutions (R-84-296)-12/31/1984 RESOLUTION R-84-2~ A RESOLUTION SUPPORTING INCREASED STATE HIGHWAY FUNDING, PASSAGE OF THE POTHOLE BILL AND INCREASED HIGHWAY USER CHARGES vJ .W6 ~~ s---/4 -J7 S- JJj- WHEREAS, authoritative surveys reveal that: (1) Texas leads the nation in the number of deficient bridges (172,000) and deteriorated state roadways (7,740 miles). (2) The state's 5;' per-gallon motor fuel tax is the lowest in the nation, and has not been increased in 27 years. Moreover, in 1965, 27% of the state budget went for transportation, while in 1982 only about 10% of the state budget was spent for transportation-related purposes. (3) Each Texas motorist pays a "bad roads" tax averaging $291 per year for wasted gasoline, tire wear, car repairs, insurance and medical bills. (4) Additional transportation spending of $51 billion' will be needed over the next 20 years to overcome the current backlog of needs--including $6.2 million for road and bridge rehabilitation, $30.3 billion for reconstruction, $6.7 billion for new roads and $7.7 billion for main- tenance; and WHEREAS, the state's transportation funding problems are reflected at the local level, as follows: (1) The current backlog of city street repair needs exceeds $1 billion. Texas cities are spending an estimated $193 million per year on street repairs--more than ever before. But they are still falling further behind each year, because the street repair backlog is growing at rates that exceed local spending increases. The cities must have state financial assistance in order to bring their streets and bridges up to standard. (2) Upwards of 20 percent of all municipal streets--more than 13,000 miles-- are currently in need of major repair. (3) The deterioration of city streets and bridges will accelerate in the future. The 10 million motor vehicles already in the state are wearing out local roads and bridges faster than they can be repaired; twenty years from now, the cities will have 16 million vehicles to contend with--more than half again today's volume; and WHEREAS, the Texas Municipal League supports the state funding and tax increases necessary to bring our state-local roads and bridges up to par; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Citv Council of the City of Colleyville that the Texas Legislature is urged to enact a state-local road and bridge financing package composed of the following: (1) An increase of $1 billion per year in funding for the State Department of Highways and Public Transportation. Resolution R-84-295 Page 2 (2) $100 million per year for the City Street Improvement Fund (the "Pothole Bill") proposed, but not approved, during the 1983 Legislative session. ,(3) Doubling the rate of the state motor fuel tax to lOt/gallon and increas- ing motor vehicle license fees as necessary to generate adequate fund- ing. PASSED AND APPROVED by the this day of of the City of , 1984. APPROVED: Mayor ATTEST: POTHOLE BILL FACT SHEET The highway finance legislative package supported by TML consists of three parts: (1) A provision to double the rate of the state motor fuel tax from 5f/. to 10~ per gallon, and an increase the amount of the state motor vehicle registration fee; (2) Increased state appropriations of $1 billion per year to the State Department of Highways & Public Transportation for improvements to state highways and bridges; and (3) The appropriation of state funds for municipal street and bridge repairs--the "Pothole Bill." Under Part Three of the package, the state legislature would appropriate $200 million per biennium for city street and bridge repairs. Half of that amount would be distributed to the cities in 1984-85; the other half would be allocated in 1985-86. Under the Pothole Bill, each city would have to demonstrate a commitment to helping solve its own repair problems by matching its state allocation 30/70. In other words, for each $700 provided by the state, the city would have to put up $300. The entire amount of the city's allocation must be spent for street and bridge repair and maintenance. Expenditures for new construction would not be permitted. All cities would be eligible for funding. Each city's share would be based on the number of miles of paved street (concrete or asphalt) maintained by the city. There are about 60,000 miles of municipal street in the state. There- fore, each mile of paved street would entitle the city to $ lOOm. - 60,000 = $1,660 per year. A city with 10 miles of street would receive $16,600/year; one with 50 miles of street would receive $83,000 and so on. There are several legitimate reasons the Legislature should approve the Pothole Bill: (1) More than 60% of all motor vehicle travel in the state takes place on city roads. Also, city residents pay a major share of all motor fuel taxes and vehicle registration fees collected by the state. Currently, none of these revenues are remitted back to the cities to help deal wi th the street repair problems created by the millions of vehicles which generate the revenues in the first place. (2) Unlike many other types of municipal functions, streets and bridges are a statewide concern. The quality of the state's transportation system is dependent upon the quality of local roadways. (3) Raising property taxes is not the answer to our municipal street and bridge problems. The local property tax is overloaded, and many Texas cities have experienced Proposition 13-type taxpayer rebellions during the past few years. Remitting $100 million per year back to the cities would provide a direct form of 'tax relief' by alleviating pressures on the local property tax to fund street repairs. (Over) (4) A survey of Texas cities indicates that the backlog of municipal street repair needs exceeds $1 billion. More than 13,000 miles of ci ty streets are in need of uajor improvement. Texas cities are spending more than $190 million per year on street repairs, but it's not enough. Cities are falling further behind every year, because the street repair backlog is snowballing at rates that exceed local spending increases. The cities will never be able to bring their streets and bridges up to standard without state assistance. (5) The deterioration of city streets and bridges will continue to acceler- ate in the future. The 10 million motor vehicles already in the State are tearing up our local roads and bridges faster than they can be repaired. Twenty years from now, we will have 16 million vehicles to contend with--50% more than we have today.