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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution 3677-11-2008A Resolution NO 3677 11 2008 APPROVING A LEGISLATIVE POSITION ON RAIL NORTH TEXAS A PRIMARY RAIL LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM WITH SUPPLEMENTAL ROADWAY IMPROVEMENTS WHEREAS, the North Central Texas Council of Governments is designated as the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area by the Governor of Texas m accordance with federal law• and WHEREAS, the Regional Transportation Council, comprised primarily of local elected officials, ns the regional transportation polncy body assocnated with the North Central Texas Council of Governments, and has been and continues to be the regional forum for cooperative decisions, and WHEREAS, the Regional Transportation Council has advocated for additional transportation funding and flexibnlity for over 10 years, with a special focus on ndentifying additional funding to construct and operate a seamless regional rail system for the past five years, and WHEREAS, the Rail North Texas effort has been abottom-up process to rnclude local elected officials, business leaders, the public, and State legislators and has resulted m a specific legislative proposal, and WHEREAS, the Regional Transportation Council has adopted a Resolution declaring its mtenrion to seek legislative authority to create a Transportation District for the purpose of levying taxes or fees m order to generate revenue to fund rail and supplemental roadway improvements; stating its continued support of the principles contained m the three existing transportation authorities' Joint Recommendation for Regional Rail in North Central Texas" stating its opposition to the creation of any new transportation authorities or transportation providers wrthin the Dallas-Fort Worth region, and declaring its support of a district wide local voter option for creation of a transportation district, as set forth m Attachment 1 hereof; and WHEREAS, the City of Fort Worth agrees with and will benefit from the positions expressed by the Regional Transportation Council s Resolution, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS, THAT Section 1 The City of Fort Worth approves the Regional Transportation Council s intention to seek legislative authority to create a Transportatnon Distract for the purpose of levying taxes or fees m order to generate revenue to fund rail and supplemental RESOLUTION NO 3677 11 2008 roadway improvements. Section 2. The City of Fort Worth continues to support the principles contained m the three transportation authorities Joint Recommendation for Regional Rail m North Central Texas. This rail inittative will be constructed by existing transportation providers. Section 3. The City of Fort Worth does not support the creation of any new transportation authorities or transportation providers within the Dallas-Fort Worth region. Section 4. The City of Fort Worth supports the specific proposal outlined in Attachment 1 hereof. Section 5. The City of Fort Worth supports the Regional Transportation Council s desire to implement a `transportation distract" for the sole purpose of implementing rail and supplemental roadway improvements. Section 6. This Resolution will be transmitted to the North Central Texas Council of Governments, local governments, partner organizations, and other interested parties with a request to support transportation as the region s highest legislative priority for the 81St Texas Legislature and a request to endorse this resolution. Section 7 This Resolution shall take effect immediately following its adoption. Attachment Adopted this 1 lth day of November 2008 ATTEST By APPROVED CITY COUNCIL NOV 1 1 2008 City Sec~of the City of Fort Worth, Texas RESOLUTION NO 3677 11 2008 Attachment 1 District-wide Local Voter Option The bill shall authorize the eight Transportation Management Areas within Texas to form a transportation district. The purpose of the transportation distract is to levy fees and taxes to generate revenue necessary to fund identified metropolitan area mobility needs. The metropolitan planning organization (MPO) policy making body may establish a transportation distract by a two thirds vote of its members following a public hearing. The boundary of the metropolitan planning area shall be the boundary of the transportation district. If the metropolitan planning area boundary changes, the boundary of the transportation district changes identically and simultaneously If the metropolitan planning area boundary splits a county and the commissioners court of that county resolves that the entire county be included m the transportation district, then the distract boundary shall expand to include the entire county The transportation district shall be governed by a board of directors. The board of directors of the district shall be the MPO policy making body unless the MPO policy making body elects not to serve as the district board of directors, m which case rt may establish an alternative board of directors. At least two thirds of the membership of any alternative board of directors shall consist of local elected officials of cities and counties within the district. The bill shall authorize a transportation distract to • Levy fees and taxes subs ect to voter approval • Issue debt • Fund operations, maintenance, capital and debt service expenses for passenger rail, transit, roadways and freight rail. • Contract with other entities to provide mobility services and implement prod ects The transportation distract shall use revenue generated from fees and taxes m a particular county to fund mobility needs m that county The distract may levy the following fees and taxes if approved by voters at an election on a date authorized by statute. • A vehicle registration fee, not to exceed $150 per vehicle per year • A motor fuels excise tax, not to exceed $0 10 per gallon RESOLUTION NO 3677 11 2008 • A mileage fee, not to exceed $0 Ol per vehicle mile driven • A property tax, not to exceed $0 OS per $100 appraised value • A driver's license fee, not to exceed $50 • New resident impact (vehicle registration), not to exceed $250 per year The transportation distract shall use the established process and crateraa of the MPO m identifying mobility needs and selecting projects to fund, using the following protocol • The MPO issues a call for projects • Cities, counties, and transportation authorities within the transportation district submit prod ects • The MPO evaluates and ranks projects on acounty-by-county basis • The MPO develops a ballot specnfic to each county within the MPO listing the highest ranked projects and recommended fees and taxes to generate revenue to fund the projects, correlating projects on the sample ballot to estimated revenues generated by fees and taxes levied on a county basis so that the fee and tax revenue generated nn a particular county funds projects m that county • On a date authorized by the legislature, the transportation distract shall submit all ballots for voter approval. Ballot language adopted by the district board shall list: • each tax or fee to be levied, • the rate of each tax or fee to be levied, • the month and year m which the tax or fee levy shall begin, • the transportation operations, maintenance and capital projects to be funded, • the month and year m which a tax or fee levied for a capital project shall cease, and • the estimated time frame for the implementation of each project. The vote results shall be tabulated on a county basis. Fees and taxes will be levied only m a county nn which a ma~oraty vote ns cast nn favor of the projects, fees and taxes listed on the ballot. The bill shall mdemnnfy metropolitan areas Metropolitan planning areas shall not be penalized m terms of losing traditional transportation funding by virtue of their estabinshnng a transportation district and their voters agreeing to pay additional transportation taxes or fees. TxDOT shall not reduce any allocation of traditional transportation funding to any of its distracts by virtue of a district being m a metropolitan planning area that establishes a transportation district and levies additional transportation taxes or fees.