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Some Collin officials balk at light rail expansion bill
(Dallas Morning News, The Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Mar. 15--Light rail service stops tantalizingly close to Allen.
DART trains come to a halt at Parker Road in Plano, less than five minutes south of Allen.
After years of anticipation, rail service could finally extend to Allen, McKinney and Frisco if a bill before state lawmakers passes.
Yet some Collin County officials and area legislators oppose the measure, which would allow voters to approve new taxes to pay for rail service.
Allen City Manager Peter Vargas said he's baffled that his town's best shot for rail might be torpedoed by local officials.
"I think we're surprised because we thought we'd been involving everybody in the discussions all along," Vargas said.
More than 40 area cities have passed resolutions backing the Local Option Transportation Funding Act, which would extend rail service throughout the region, not just to Collin County. The cities include Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Garland, DeSoto and Duncanville.
Collin County Judge Keith Self isn't swayed by the broad support. Neither are county commissioners or state Rep. Ken Paxton, R-McKinney.
These officials say they support rail service but not the funding mechanism offered by the bill, sponsored by state Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas. They say it would require local citizens to pay higher taxes during the worst economic crisis in memory.
Instead, opponents want more state and private funds to help pay the enormous cost of extending rail.
"This is not the time to raise taxes," Self said.
The bill would allow voters in Allen, McKinney, Frisco and other area towns to choose from a menu of options to fund rail service. In the bill's current form, options include raising the gasoline tax and instituting fees on vehicle registration and driver's license renewal.
The bill, which has attracted widespread interest, is still being tweaked. It is scheduled to be heard by the Senate Committee on Transportation & Homeland Security on Wednesday.
"I think there's a lot more momentum behind this bill in Austin than one might guess," Self said.
Opponents express concern about how the new tax revenue would be spent. The bill proposes that the 44-member Regional Transportation Council select the projects. Collin County, for instance, has only four appointees to the panel.
The current bill follows unsuccessful attempts the past two legislative sessions to fund new rail service by raising the sales tax. Proponents say the new measure is more palatable because it would allow cities to choose one or more funding options.
Vargas and other supporters tout the economic development that could accompany additional rail service in Collin County. For instance, apartments have sprung up around the DART rail station in downtown Plano.
In Dallas, a huge mixed-use development is under way along Central Expressway near the Park Lane rail station. Dick's Sporting Goods recently opened there, and the project will include other stores, high-rise apartments, offices and a hotel.
The fate of the rail legislation remains uncertain. Paxton, an outspoken opponent, predicts it will fail. He said the cost of extending rail outweighs the benefits.
"Rail doesn't carry that many people," he said.
Vargas, however, said more rail service is essential to ease traffic congestion and reduce air pollution.
"If this doesn't fly, we'll go back to the drawing board," he said. "It's not something we can ignore."
To see more of The Dallas Morning News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dallasnews.com.
Copyright (c) 2009, The Dallas Morning News
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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