Category Archives: special districts

2 Steps for a West Coast Rail to Condemn Land via 3rd party.

Step One: Have a need for eminent domain.

Background:  

  • CalTrain on the San Francisco Penninsula is modernizing. 
  • To modernize, CalTrain needs to acquire land in certain areas. CalTrain isn’t using eminent domain.

Step Two: Find an entity that can use emiment domain.

What entity is using eminent domain for CalTrain? San Mateo Transit District.

San Mateo Daily Journal | Caltrain may take private land

Comptroller: 5 Benefits to Texas. Expanded Panama Canal.

  • “any substantial increase in that trade could add billions to the state economy”
    • In 2015, $204 billion in international trade passed through Texas seaports
  • Greater efficiencies of Neo-Panamax ships could lower shipping cost by 30%
  • Lower costs can add 10% increase in Asian container traffic 
  • Capital Improvements. $48 billion on capital improvements during the next five years in Texas Ports to accomodate Neo-Panamax ships
  • New Development. $335 million marine terminal along the Houston Ship…

4 Points of Import. Texas Ports. New Panama Canal

Texas energy exports: The 1st oil and gas export left the Port of Corpus Christi earlier this year

Energy exports will benefit from the new Panama Canal with its 50 foot drafts.

How the new Panama Canal sets up a quagmire for Texas: Texas ports can only handle a draft of 45 feet.

The funding issue: Most coastal states fund Port maintenance and expansion. Texas does not. It uses user fees and some local property taxes. The cost to expand the Port of Houston is $55-$60 million.

Energy…

TREND. West Coast Solution to low road funding? Incremental sales tax.

What proposal is being bandied about to improve local transportation funding in California? incremental sales tax for counties to raise transportation revenue

What are the recommended benchmarks for a local transporation incremental sales tax in California?

  • Flexibility & Inclusiveness.  Need local sales tax authority that can adapt to changing transportation needs
  • Clear bonding authority. Leverage the sales tax revenue for bonds & other financial mechanisms

Sound familiar? Local…

INTERIM. 2 New Texas Special District for Transportation Funding.

What local governments  created a new special district for transportation funding? Weatherford & South Padre Island with Cameron Cunty

What is the goal of the new special district? spur development along the Interstate 20 corridor in Weatherford & improve Padre Boulevard

How will the new special districts funding work? 

  • Property tax revenue continues collection 
  • the local governments will designate to the TIRZ fund a portion of the  additional property tax revenues as…

INTERIM New Transportation Reinvestment Zone on the Horizon. 4 Points to be Informed.

Which local governmental entity is pursuing a transportation reinvestment zone? Weatherford

What’s the name of the TRZ?  Weatherford Transportation Investment Partnership

What’s Weatherford’s goals with the TRZ?

  • allocate taxes for new roadway projects
  • spur business development along Interstate 20
  • specificallt to “promote development in specific areas near the Interstate 20 corridor that lack roadway access”

What’s the revenue breakdown in the TRZ?

  • 75% of “additional property taxes…

INTERIM Lege Trend: Transportation Sales Tax. Funding Ideas from the Land of Cheese.

Where is this legislative movement happening?  It is a bipartisan transportation plan in Wisconsin

Did Republicans or Democrats come up with this idea? Republicans

What stumbling blocks do they have? Convincing collegues it is not a tax increase

How do they counter this? By focusing on the local vote requirement.

What does the legislation allow?

  • Allow counties, with voter approval in a referendum, to impose a half-cent sales tax
  • Sales tax revenue is then distributed to local…

New Transportation Reinvestment Zone in South Texas. 3 Points to Know.

  • New county-wide transportation reinvestment zone approved unanymously in Cameron County
  • Can raise $1.6 billion for future transportation projects over the next 50 years
  • Allows Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority to pledge its funding for transportation bonds

Valley Morning Star | Economic development: Court approves new transportation reinvestment zone

The Genesis of Transportation Reinvestment Zones. 4 Things to Know. The AG Opinion that Detailed it.

In 2012, Attorney General Abbott was asked by Chairman Pickett to answer questions about:

  • The Authority of a county to form a transportation reinvestment zone
  • Whether the zone can collect an ad valorem tax increment
  • Can the funds be  pledged and assigned to secure bonds to pay the cost of a transportation project ?

The Attorney General Opinion GA-0981:

  • Transportation Code Chapter 222 lays out Transportation Reinvestment Zone parameters
  • Since we’re talking about Ad Valorem Increment…