Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert. (David Smith)
I know, I know--city government is non-partisan, so why is the Republican Examiner discussing? Because I happen to be a resident of Dallas and this affects me directly.
The Dallas Morning News is reporting that the Dallas City Council discussed implementation of a "road use fee" to be assessed to residents and businesses to help alleviate the city's budget shortfall.
Mayor Tom Leppert, a potential candidate for U.S. Senate in 2012, asked council members how many would be interested in at least considering the proposal, to which 7 responded they would. Council member Ann Margolin replied with staunch opposition, saying, "I have a really serious problem with that," she said. "Charging to use our streets, I can't even imagine the havoc that that's going to create."
One aspect of this havoc that the DMN failed to even consider, and I'm sure the City Council didn't discuss either, is the fact that a significant number of people reside in Highland Park and University Park who travel in and out of the city limits of Dallas quite frequently.
And ironically, they quite frequently bring up the topic of tolling "outsiders" who enter the Park Cities for traveling their antiquated, dilapidated, over-used roads. So perhaps the Dallas City Council should consider tolling Park Cities residents for leaving their Utopian little burgs?
Dallas City Council member Ann Margolin. (promotional photo)
Another interesting aspect of the Park Cities occasional calls for tolling? Their trash collection facilities are located across Central Expressway in Dallas! That's right. It's inconvenient for the Park Cities to have Dallas drivers enter their little corner of the world. But heaven forbid they process their own garbage within their own borders!
There are so many interesting aspects of this situation that it just begs somebody talking about it. And I am happy to jump in, two feet firmly planted.
First, the City of Dallas needs to go back to the spending trough once again and start hacking away at programs, expenses, etc. This budget crisis is not going to go away this year, next year or probably the year after that as well. And their bloated spending can only be passed off on residents so long. Spending cuts must be the order of the day.
Now, I haven't polled any of my fellow Dallasites yet, but I would be willing to bet that we would be willing to forgo services rather than pay more in fees. Especially something so dumb as a "road use fee."
University Park's Waste Transfer Station is actually located in Dallas. This should be brought up the next time Park Cities residents are griping about traffic levels in their little burgs due to "outsiders." (David Smith)
Second, I believe that either the Park Cities tolling outsiders or Dallas billing the Park Cities is equally dumb. But I find it a joke for the little towns with the Great Big Houses to gripe about their situation. They created it, after all. Maybe not any of the current residents. Maybe not within any of our lifetimes. But founding the Park Cities where they did and with their refusal to expand roads over the ensuing century, their problems start within their own city limits. To pass it off on outsiders is dumb. But if they want to play that game, a toll booth works going both ways.
Third, the willingness of the Dallas City Council to even discuss much less consider this proposed "road use fee" is reminiscent of TxDOT's toll road initiatives. It also hearkens to the days of former Mayor Laura Miller, herself an advocate of TxDOT's concept of transforming existing freeways to tolled roads. This strategy is unnecessary, short-sighted and the most expensive option available.
In short, Council member Ann Margolin just took three steps up in my opinion simply for expressing her displeasure with the concept. And Mayor Leppert--if you continue to fail to oppose this measure, don't you dare continue to present yourself as a potential Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate. You will be running for a seat currently occupied by a Senator with a poor enough fiscal record in Washington. We don't need to replace bad with worse, sir.
Cut spending. That needs to become a theme repeated across our nation. Not raising taxes in the form of new fees, etc.
Cut. Period.
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