Honkin' Mad

TxDot goes on Hurricane alert

Texas Department of Transportation crews are sweeping shoulders and patching pavement on highways that may be needed for hurricane evacuation this weekend, officials said.
The agency's south Texas districts are all on standby. Electronic message signs in Houston, Beaumont and Coastal Bend regions are displaying this message:
"HURRICANE     SEASON     IS HERE
KEEP YOUR     GAS TANKS     FULL"

As Tropical Storm Gustav approaches Texas, the Emergency Operations Center in Austin will open Friday.
More: www.texasonline.com

What I did this summer ...

Travel story about vacationing in the Great Southwest.

Pic: Ansel Adams

Ouch! Panel calls for historical changes at TxDot

A legislative watchdog commission this morning recommended that the five-member Texas Transportation Commission be abolished, and replaced by a single commissioner who would have broader powers to control the Texas Department of Transportation.

READ THE WHOLE REPORT HERE.

The axing of the commission was among several sweeping, historical changes recommended by the Sunset Advisory Commission, a legislative body that periodically reviews state agencies to determine if they’re still functioning properly. The transportation department has been widely criticized for planning toll roads in areas that don’t want them and mishandling its $8 billion budget.

Much of the sunset commission’s work, which included interviews and comments from more than 1,000 people, likely will be debated heavily during the next legislative session that begins in January and could become state law in 2009. “Many expressed concerns that TxDot was out of control, advancing its own agenda against objections of both the Legislature and the public,” investigators wrote in a summary of the 146-page report. “Sunset staff found that this atmosphere of distrust permeated most of TxDot’s actions and determined that it could not be an effective state transportation agency if trust and confidence were not restored. Significant changes are needed to begin this restoration. Tweaking the status quo is simply not enough. This report proposed decisive action to address TxDot’s problems by establishing what is in effect a legislative conservatorship to return control of transportation policy to the Legislature, where it belongs.”

Highlights of the report:

• Abolish the five-member Texas Transportation Commission and replace it with a single transportation commissioner appointed by the governor. The commissioner would be ratified by the legislature every two years. The agency would continue to exist but would undergo another sunset review in four years, instead of the customary 12 years afforded other agencies. That would be a sweeping change for the agency, which has been governed by a three- or five-member commission for all its 91 years.
• Place the agency in a four-year legislative conservatorship to return control to the Legislature. Essentially the agency would be on a form of probation and would need to re-prove its necessity to exist beginning in 2012.

Lawmakers heralded the report, saying it’s the most in-depth look at the troubled agency in decades. “Significant changes to TxDot must occur from top to bottom before our citizens can once again trust the department and its policies.” State Sen. Kim Brimer, R-Fort Worth. “The sunset staff, for whom I have respect as professionals, did many interviews and are offering this recommendation due to the responses from the interviews. … State agencies can absorb bureaucratic bloat over time and it’s an excellent opportunity to revamp.”

Although not mentioned by name in the report, many of the most criticized elements of the report can be traced back to the late transportation commission chairman Ric Williamson of Weatherford, who died in late December. Many critics have said the agency fell into disrepair under the charismatic, five-year leadership of Williamson, a gifted public speaker and loud proponent of toll roads.

Other highlights:

• Establish a legislative oversight committee that keeps a close eye on transportation funding and policy matters, and ensures the agency doesn’t veer from the power granted to it by the lawmakers. The committee would be made up of state House and Senate members.
• Require the agency to redevelop and regularly update the Statewide Transportation Plan, so that Texans can better understand the agency’s long-term plans.
• Develop a public involvement policy that encourages Texans to voice opinions over the future of transportation policy.
• Do away with the executive director's position, and eliminate the requirement that the agency's top executive be a trained engineer. Allow the commissioner to appoint his or her own executive staff. Amadeo Saenz has been the agency's executive director since last fall.

The report will be discussed in detail during a Sunset Advisory Commission meeting July 15 in Austin.

Not all recommendations were critical of the agency per se. One recommendation calls for the Legislature to change state law and allow the agency to enter into design-build contracts, which would allow the agency to hire a management firm to oversee an entire project, rather than bidding out each piece of construction. Current law only allows design-build for toll road projects.

Some of the recommendations were eerily simple, including one calling for the agency to simply make its Web site easier to use for ordinary Texans who want to trace the genesis of road work in their home counties. Also, sunset staff members recommended severing the transportation department’s relationship with the Texas Transportation Institute, which is based at Texas A&M University. The institute would continue to serve as the agency’s research arm but would received its funding directly from the Legislature instead of from the transportation agency.

The report didn’t mention Gov. Rick Perry by name, but was critical of his practice of appointing transportation commissioners when the Legislature isn’t in session, making it possible for them to serve for months before the state Senate can hold a confirmation hearing. “Lack of timely appointments to the Texas Transportation Commission has weakened TxDot’s accountability to the Legislature,” the report says.

DPS needs a makeover

Think about this the next time you're getting a car inspected or renewing a driver license:

The Texas Department of Public Safety is failing to properly manage the vehicle inspection program, and the state's driver license division doesn't meet consumers' needs, according to a scathing report released Friday by a state commission.

Texans are required to have their cars inspected yearly for safety and, in major cities, for emissions. But DPS lacks the supervision to prevent the issuance of fraudulent inspection stickers, the Sunset Advisory Commission report states.

Also, the average wait time for calls to DPS' customer service phone line is 13.5 minutes, and only 35 percent of calls are completed because most people get frustrated and hang up.

The commission, a group of state lawmakers that periodically reviews state agencies to determine if they're still functioning properly, is recommending major changes at DPS. Among them:

• Run the vehicle inspection and driver license programs like a business, instead of a law enforcement function. Many civilian, consumer-related duties are still managed by an outdated, law enforcement chain of command, the report noted.

• Overhaul DPS to focus more on law enforcement duties, including highway patrol, anti-terrorism efforts, drug and gang interdiction and border security issues.

The issue is expected to be a hot topic during the 2009 legislative session, which begins in January in Austin.

READ THE REPORT HERE (114 pages)

The report notes that few state agencies touch as many lives as DPS. "Virtually every adult in the state has a driver license or identification card issued by the agency, and automobile owners must get their vehicles inspected at stations regulated by DPS," a summary of the report reads. "Because Texas ranks first among the states for frequency of tornadoes and flash floods, DPS’ emergency management efforts also impact large numbers of Texans. ... Despite its many dedicated employees, the Department’s tendency to do things 'because they’ve always been done that way,' and not carefully scrutinize operations reduces the agency’s success."

Fill 'er up, but do it OUTSIDE Fort Worth ...

Fort Worth gas prices are gonna be highest in the state this weekend, at $3.739. Check out the AAA gas watch here

If Perry can give rebates, why can't he build roads?

Texas is expected to have a budget surplus next year. Read more about that HERE.

Here's a topic to kick around the water cooler today:

If the state has enough money to give residents a rebate, why not instead use that money on highways? That way, it wouldn't be necessary to build new roads as toll roads.

Totally reasonable question. I think the short answer is, the state's highways are funded by motor fuels taxes (20 cents a gallon), and only a portion of the surplus is from those funds. The surplus is mostly coming from other revenue areas.

It is true that state lawmakers could divert other state funds for transportation. Just a third of that anticipated $15 billion surplus would give the Texas Department of Transportation what it needs to avoid having its highways fall into unacceptable maintenance conditions over the next 10 years.

But historically lawmakers haven't supported increased spending on highways. In fact, it's the other way around ... Often, the Legislature diverts highway money for non-transportation uses.

How do you feel about it?

-- G.

Irving lawmaker rips TxDot, promises changes

FORT WORTH — The Texas Department of Transportation has done more harm to the public’s trust of state government than any other agency and needs to be overhauled, warned state Rep. Linda Harper-Brown, R-Irving.

Harper-Brown also told the Tarrant Regional Transportation Coalition on Wednesday that the transportation department has failed to build roads necessary to reduce congestion, and overstated its financial problems to win public support for toll roads. “TxDot used to be a premier agency in America. It’s not anymore. Other states have better roads,” Harper-Brown told the group.

Brown is a member of the Sunset Review Commission, which periodically reviews state agencies to determine whether they’re still necessary. Commission members are expected to grill transportation department officials during hearings this summer. Harper-Brown said she is researching how agencies in states such as Florida build and manage their transportation projects while sticking to firm deadlines and keeping lawmakers and the public informed about finances. She said the Texas transportation department lacks transparency about its finances and often refuses to answer basic questions from lawmakers. “If there is not a major change at TxDot, I’m not sure the Legislature will vote to give them more money.”

Several Tarrant County officials agreed with Harper-Brown about the need for better oversight, but defended transportation department officials in the Fort Worth district, which serves Tarrant and eight other area counties. They asked Harper-Brown to protect the region’s existing agreements with the state transportation department, including an agreement with the North Texas Tollway Authority to build Texas 121 in Denton and Collin counties and generate $3.2 billion for other regional projects. North Texas leaders want to keep that money in North Texas, not in Austin where it could be taken for other state needs, Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley told Harper-Brown.

Maribel Chavez, the transportation department’s Fort Worth engineer, told Harper-Brown that federal environmental laws are a main reason that road projects are delayed — and if Florida has found a way to speed up that process, she’d like to know about it.

GORDON DICKSON, 817-685-3816

Update on Perry transportation appointments

FORT WORTH — Bill Meadows’ reputation as a political bridge builder is one reason he was selected Wednesday to serve on the Texas Transportation Commission — and he’ll be put to the test immediately, pitching toll roads to a skeptical public and distrustful state Legislature.

<---Meadows

Gov. Rick Perry announced Wednesday that he had appointed Meadows, a long-time Fort Worth civic leader and former four-term City Council member, to one of two openings on the commission.

Perry --->

The five-member governing body oversees the Texas Department of Transportation and is responsible for mapping out a plan to reduce gridlock, even as Texas’ population is expected to explode over the next 50 years. Perry also appointed his former chief of staff, Deirdre Delisi, as commission chairwoman.  Meadows and Delisi will begin serving immediately, although their appointments must be confirmed by the state Senate in 2009. Their terms end Feb. 1, 2013.

Delisi --->

Meadows, who resigned his North Texas Tollway Authority board seat Wednesday shortly after his state appointment was made official, said toll roads aren’t the answer to every traffic problem. But, he said Texans need to get the message about the state’s bleak highway funding situation. Highways have traditionally been supported by gas taxes, but those funds haven’t kept pace with the cost of building roads. “Properly explained, I think the public will accept toll roads, particularly if we are careful and clear in explaining what the future capacity needs are going to be,” Meadows said. “The fact is this state is going to grow dramatically in the next 50 years. There are projections that put the population at 40 million people in 2060. We’re going to have to work hard to provide additional capacity to serve that sort of population growth.”

Influence in Austin

Meadows is the first Fort Worth resident to serve on the commission since Robert M. Bass was a member in 1986-87. Tarrant County leaders praised the appointment, saying they hope Meadows’ influence will speed up construction of projects such as Southwest Parkway, a proposed toll road from downtown to southwest Fort Worth, and new toll and nontoll lanes on Interstate 35W, Loop 820 and Airport Freeway. “Bill has a great sense of humor, which will help him on that board,” said Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief, a longtime friend and hunting buddy of Meadows.  “He’s got tremendous energy, focus and determination. On top of all that, he’s a pretty good shot. He understands how to put a target between the crosshairs and keep it there.”

<---Moncrief

A few years ago, Meadows persuaded the Plano-based tollway authority to build Southwest Parkway with extra landscaping and other amenities, so it would blend in with Fort Worth’s older neighborhoods, said state Sen. Kim Brimer, R-Fort Worth. Meadows also was a calming influence during the past two years, as the tollway authority and state transportation department fueded over which agency should be responsible for building Metroplex toll roads. Meadows is well-known in Tarrant County, Brimer said. But he added: “I think his service on the tollway authority proved to the east side of the Metroplex he was a good, fair man to work with.”

Playing defense

Brimer --->

Meadows and Delisi must quickly prepare to defend the transportation department before the Sunset Review Commission, which periodically examines state agencies to determine if they’re still relevant. For the transportation department, that process hits high gear in July. Critics say it won’t be easy for Delisi, a staunch Perry supporter. “Rick Perry had to go in-house to find somebody, another bulldog,” said Linda Curtis of Bastrop, founder of Independent Texans, a group of self-described independent voters that opposes toll roads.

<---Curtis

Curtis said many candidates for state offices are finding favor with voters by speaking out against toll roads, especially the controversial Trans-Texas Corridor, a proposed statewide tollway network. The transportation department would be wise to recognize that trend and reverse its pursuit of toll roads, she said. “It’s going to continue to be a huge issue, and there is going to be a breaking point,” she said. “Either they are going to just force this thing on Texans, or people of this state are going to find some avenue for making a change.”

But Delisi said in a phone interview that criticisms about toll roads are a byproduct of tackling a tough problem — how to pay for roads, to accommodate population and economic growth, without raising taxes. “Our transportation infrastructure and how we’re going to build it and pay for it are very difficult challenges that need to be addressed,” she said. “I think it’s what is reflected in the debate between the Legislature and the agency. My goal and what I’ve committed to the governor and other member of the Legislature is I intend to work with them to solve these problems through open dialog, creative thinking and hard work.”

GORDON DICKSON, 817-685-3816

New transportation blood

Bill Meadows of Fort Worth and Deirdre Delisi of Austin were appointed Wednesday to the Texas Transportation Commission. Meadows replaces Ric Williamson of Weatherford, who died in late December. Delisi replaces Hope Andrade of San Antonio, whose term expired in February.

Bill Meadows

Experience: Insurance executive, chairman of Hub International Rigg; vice chairman of the North Texas Tollway Authority (resigned Wednesday); former Texas Water Development Board member; four-term Fort Worth City Council member and mayor pro tempore; served on many other boards and foundations.

Education: Bachelor’s degree, Southwestern University; attended Harlaxton Institute, Grantham, England.

In his words: “I think anybody would recognize it’s a job that is going to be very challenging. The fact is, transportation is as fundamental of a public service as there is to the state of Texas. We clearly have some challenges in that arena. I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in transportation over the last 18 years, from a local government perspective. I’ve enjoyed the transportation arena but more importantly I recognize its significance to the citizens of the state.”

Deirdre Delisi 

Experience: Former chief of staff, Gov. Rick Perry; former policy advisor to Lamar Alexander and George W. Bush presidential campaigns.

Education: Bachelor’s degree, Duke University; master’s degree, Stanford University.

In her words: “The mission from TxDot hasn’t changed. The goals of the agency and commission are to reduce congestion, enhance safety, expand economic opportunity, improve air quality and maintain the assets we have on the ground. The governor’s marching orders are for me to maintain the course.”

What the guv says

Gov. Rick Perry’s statement about Meadows and Delisi:

“I am confident their contribution to the commission will maintain the momentum of the late Commissioner Ric Williamson’s pioneering vision, and secure comprehensive transportation solutions that will reduce traffic congestion, improve safety and keep our state’s doors open to economic growth and success.”

Meadows will resign from NTTA today

A comment from Bill Meadows about his appointment to the Texas Transportation Commission:

"I think anybody would recognize it’s a job that is going to be very challenging. The fact is, transportation is as fundamental of a public service as there is to the state of Texas. We clearly have some challenges in that arena. I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in transportation over the last 18 years, from a local government perspective. I've enjoyed the transportation arena but more importantly I recognize its significance to the citizens of the state."

What about becoming a pitch man for the state's toll road program?

"Properly explained, I think the public will accept toll roads, particularly if we are careful and clear in explaining what the future capacity needs are going to be. The fact is this state is going to grow dramatically in the next 50 years. There are projections that put the population at 40 million people in 2060. We're going to have to work hard to provide additional capacity to serve that sort of population growth."

But Meadows also quickly added that toll roads aren't necessarily the solution in every corner of the state ...

Meadows and Delisi will serve through Feb. 1, 2013

The appointments are now official. A statement from Gov. Rick Perry about the appointment of Bill Meadows and Deirdre Delisi to the Texas Transportation Commission:

“Texas faces serious challenges in providing a transportation infrastructure that will sustain our state’s rapid pace of population and trade growth,” said Gov. Perry. “Both Deirdre and Bill have the integrity and expertise to ensure that these needs are met efficiently and responsibly. I am confident their contribution to the commission will maintain the momentum of the late Commissioner Ric Williamson’s pioneering vision, and secure comprehensive transportation solutions that will reduce traffic congestion, improve safety and keep our state’s doors open to economic growth and success.”