State Sen. John Carona's bill that would allow counties to levy taxes and other fees to fund transportation projects is getting major play this a.m. Carona, a Dallas Republican who chairs the Senate Committee on Transportation & Homeland Security, made his case to a packed house down in Austin yesterday -- the two-part video, some of which deals with Carona's suggested legislation, is available on the committee's Web site.
And for those who haven't read S.B. 855, take a moment, because, as the Associated Press reminds, "all the money-raising proposals and the transportation projects would have to be approved by local voters." And Carona does have plenty of proposals for funding "passenger rail, transit, roadway, and freight rail projects," including:
(1) a county tax on the sale of motor vehicle fuel, at a rate not to exceed 10 cents per gallon and as annually adjusted under Section 446.013;
(2) a local option mobility improvement fee, in an amount not to exceed $60;
(3) a parking regulation and management fee in the amount of $1 per hour per vehicle use of a parking space;
(4) an annual motor vehicle emissions fee based on the amount of pollutants released by a vehicle, not to exceed $15;
(5) a fee for the renewal of a driver's license issued to a county resident equal to the amount of the renewal fee of the license under Section 521.421, Transportation Code; and
(6) a new resident roadway impact fee, in an amount not to exceed $250.
