Katy area officials are evaluating what effect, if any, a Texas Transportation Commission proposed "turnback" program may have on their pocketbooks. The proposal is a voluntary program that would allow cities and counties to assume the upkeep of state highways that are not designated freeways, according to statements released earlier this month by TxDOT Executive Director Phil Wilson.
The proposal, so far, has met with some vocal opposition from county and municipal leaders, much of it voiced during a public hearing in Austin on Aug. 29. Opponents of the proposed idea, including representatives from the Texas League of Municipalities, said that local budgets, at a time when they are spread very thin, couldn't afford taking on additional road maintenance costs.
The "turnback" proposal, if implemented could save TxDOT as much as $165 million per year allowing them to shift that money to other activities that have grown threadbare in recent years.
City of Katy Mayor Fabol Hughes, a day after the hearing, said that he wasn't yet aware of the proposal and needed to look into it further before he could speak to its potential impact on the city.
Waller County Precinct 4 Commissioner Stan Kitzman said, though he hasn't seen the full proposal yet, he suspects there are a few state roads in Waller County and adjacent counties that would be eligible. Perhaps the one that first comes to mind is Hwy. 90, in the heart of the City of Katy, he said.
The commission's proposal focuses specifically on state highways that have, over the years, begun to function as local roadways. Others, such as FM 2855, between Katy and Brookshire, still seem to serve more exclusively as farm-to-market roads, Kitzman said.
No matter what roads the proposal includes, however, local jurisdictions aren't really ready to shoulder the additional burden, he said.
"That would be a problem for a lot of communities," Kitzman said. "I know TxDOT is hurting but most of the cities and counties are not in any better shape."
In fact, Waller County had actually hoped that the agency would take over a few of their roads for maintenance, he said.
Wilson, the executive director of TxDOT, addressed this concern to some degree in his published statement.
"Understandably, many cities and counties may not have identified resources available to assume these additional responsibilities," he wrote. "So I am recommending that any city or county that asks to take over one of these 'local' highways be compensated for the equivalent of one year's worth of maintenance costs for that roadway."
Local concerns take precedent, Kitzman said.
"Across the state the drought has had a tremendous impact on transportation and roads. We've had to cut our budget the last few years for roads and bridges and our roads have paid the price," he said.
The commission had hoped to restore some of that money in the proposed 2014 budget.
"Just when things were starting to look up for us this could be a big hit. I'm hoping they reconsider it," Kitzman said.
Veronica Beyer, a spokeswoman for TxDOT, confirmed that the proposal was still being entertained and was unchanged as of Aug. 29. She reiterated that the proposal would create a voluntary program. Agency officials continue to discuss it and have not yet announced what the next step in their consideration will be.
Contact Nick Cenegy at: [email protected]
