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Toll roads across Harris County have managed to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years. Now, bills have been filed in Austin to restrict how that cash is spent by the Democrat-run county government.
Over the last decade, the HCTRA has reached a point where they generate $896 million annually, and around 75% of that money is transferred to the Harris County general fund, where it can be spent in any number of wasteful ways with very little accountability.
That's something that State Senator Paul Bettencourt (R-SD7) aims to put a stop to. He spoke to KTRH about this, saying, "There are funds that are unaccountable in the system. These are the taxpayers' money, and they need to be spent, in my opinion, on unincorporated Harris County."
According to Bettencourt, his SB-2722 would require that money to be focused on roads and other infrastructure. He said, "It basically corrects an oversight in the system that allows the commissioners court to absorb that money and then spend it on whatever they want."
He says right now that money is being spent on a number of projects that have nothing to do with transportation, like "public parks, swimming pools, and other non-transportation projects."
Terri Hall, with Texans for Toll-Free Highways, wants to see things taken a step further. She wants tolls removed entirely and an end date placed on toll facilities.