Posted on 11/17/2007 1:56:09 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Deficit may top $1.8 billion by fiscal 2012 with current slate of road projects
AUSTIN — The Texas Department of Transportation, working to fend off a funding shortfall, intends to cut hundreds of millions of dollars budgeted for everything from consulting engineers to right-of-way purchases.
The plan wouldn't affect existing road projects, and it's "difficult to say" what future projects would be delayed as a result, agency spokesman Randall Dillard said Friday.
Projections show that if existing plans on awarding contracts and expenditures were to go forward, the department would have at least a $1.8 billion deficit by fiscal year 2012 and at least $3.6 billion by fiscal year 2015, agency deputy executive director Steve Simmons said in remarks prepared for Thursday's commission meeting.
"We in the transportation world cannot wait until then to address the problem," Simmons said.
The move comes as TxDOT staff is poised to recommend to the Texas Transportation Commission, the department's oversight board, a separate $1 billion cut this fiscal year for new roads and expansion projects. Officials say funds aren't keeping pace with needs and must be focused on key areas like maintenance.
The chairman of the budget-writing House Appropriations Committee said a call from a reporter was his first notice of the agency's move.
"I'm kind of surprised they didn't talk to us about that," said Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa. "You'd think ... before they announced it they'd talk to the appropriators.
"It's almost to the point you wonder if the agency hasn't got so big, they're another branch of government we're not aware of," said Chisum, who previously has taken issue with such agency decisions as its projected expenditure of $7 million to $9 million to promote the controversial Trans-Texas Corridor plan and toll roads.
The Keep Texas Moving campaign, while not cited by Simmons in his prepared remarks, is on the table for reductions along with other agency programs, Dillard said, noting, "Everything's on the table."
Dillard said agency officials had sought to stir a public discussion on the funding issue and had called some lawmakers Thursday.
The chairman of the Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee was aware of the agency's general direction regarding cuts and supports it in light of the funding situation, said Steven Polunsky, committee director.
Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, is "in complete agreement about prioritizing maintenance. He believes there is no project in Texas that is worth risking a Minneapolis bridge incident," Polunsky said. "When you're in a budget crunch, you've got to buy fewer things and scrub your internal budget. That's what TxDOT is doing."
The agency has an $8.3 billion budget this fiscal year, including $3.3 billion in federal money. Texas is getting less federal transportation money than previously expected, Simmons said. Another funding source that transportation officials had turned to was affected when lawmakers this year sought to rein in state partnerships with private entities on toll roads.
Carona worked for $5 billion in additional authority for road bonds approved Nov. 6, and he has talked up the need to raise the state's gasoline tax and for a constitutional amendment to prohibit highway funds from being diverted to other sources.
Planned agency cuts include a 57 percent reduction in this fiscal year's consultant engineering budget, to $250 million, and a cut in this year's right-of-way acquisition budget from $500 million to $275 million. Simmons said there is less need to spend money on such items if projects aren't being built.
The agency also is looking to cut its $22.4 million research budget in fiscal year 2009 by up to 50 percent, and it plans a hiring freeze to which only its executive director, Amadeo Saenz Jr., can make an exception.
Simmons said in his remarks, "Our districts and divisions will be notified that the administration in Austin will have to approve all purchases from bulldozers to paper clips."
Trans-Texas Corridor PING!
BOHICA
Hold onto your wallets!
The chairman of the budget-writing House Appropriations Committee said a call from a reporter was his first notice of the agency's move.
"I'm kind of surprised they didn't talk to us about that," said Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa. "You'd think ... before they announced it they'd talk to the appropriators.
"It's almost to the point you wonder if the agency hasn't got so big, they're another branch of government we're not aware of," said Chisum, who previously has taken issue with such agency decisions as its projected expenditure of $7 million to $9 million to promote the controversial Trans-Texas Corridor plan and toll roads.
Stunning! A responsible government agency seeks to stay within its means and the 1st word from the overseeing government is, "Hey, you can't spend less than we let you! If we want to run big deficits, the by god, we will run big deficits. Don't YOU be telling us what big deficits we can or can't run. This is our government money, by god, and if you are NOT going to live within your means unless we say you can live within your means. Got it? We run the joint. Now go borrow and spend until we say otherwise."
Just stunning.
Rudy is knee deep in these Tx projects.
Heaven forbid he becomes POTUS, Perry will likely become VP
They must be saving up money for the freeway they will be building for Bush's thousands upon thousands of Mexican truck drivers.
/S
Stunning! A responsible government agency seeks to stay within its means and the 1st word from the overseeing government is,
Texas still has a very good road system but they do have some issues with maintenance and construction/expansion projects. One thing I truly dislike is their piecemeal approach to expansion projects. They have been widening I-45 south of Dallas down to Corsicana for the last how many years I can’t remember [20+]. They work on a 6-10 section for a few years, complete it and move to the next 6-10 mile section. It takes forever to complete major stretch.
Louisiana has some major road problems but I came down from I-20, Monroe area to I-10, Lake Charles area on US 167 a couple months ago. They’re working on the entire 175 mile section of which maybe 50 miles are complete and the remaining 125 miles are under construction. At least when it’s done the entire road will be four laned and completed.
After the SB 792 moratorium period is up, they ought to use a PPP to do the entire length of the road, based on pass-through financing. The interstate remains free for drivers, and TxDOT pays the private partners money over the next 20 years or so, depending on how many cars use the interstate.
Texas politics at the Austin level is soooooooo crooked. It’s amazing how the true agenda of elected officials comes out after they have been safely elected for the second and subsequent terms. The $5.0B is for the Corridor from Laredo to San Antonio and uninformed voters bought the “regular maintenance” hook, line and sinker. We don’t have state income tax yet - but..... K Bailey got $1.2M for a “reading program” in one school district, 1200 students K-12. She’s dumped us. Trying to get the Hispanic vote and run for gov. Our local rep (R), says they have the money in the budget for routine maintenance but they wanted to pass the $3.0M bond so they would have more money to “play with”! Docs who agreed to continue seeing SCHIP and CHIP people (a lot in the needy program and adults) recd a relatively large fee increase Oct 07 because so many were threatening to drop out of provider networks. Hope we’re not the next California.
Texas just okayed a $5 billion amendment for roadway use a couple weeks ago which is mostly for construction I think. Their claim is they have only enough money for maintenance and some construction from their normal income, state tax-feds, etc. The long term need exceeds that or so it’s claimed. Texas has over 72,000 miles of highways and over 30,000 bridges to maintain, etc.
The major problems are around the population centers and it seems to me they can’t keep up with new contruction. When you get out into the open country areas it appears to me that most roadways aren’t over crowded.
Have they already run through all the money they’ve gotten from selling state highways? And what about the billions in borrowing that the voters just approved?
I live in Texas. And I wonder where on earth all the highway money is going, given how slowly road construction goes and how much road maintenance is lacking.
Then there are recent highway areas that are total disasters. “Sure, let’s have a 6 lane narrow down to 4 lanes at a stoplight before we let you onto the other highway.” Given the horrible quality of their current consulting engineers, not paying them is a good first step. A refund is the second.
>>>where on earth all the highway money is going
I may be wrong but doesn’t the highway money go into the general fund, then some separate allotment is budgeted for highway $$$?
In other words, I believe that a sizable amount of your highway $$$ is paying for illegal aliens getting educated and cared for medically.
You forgot your sarcasm tag....
BTTT
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