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R73-19 12-10-73RESOLUTION NO. 73-19 A RESOLUTION BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PEARLAND, TEXAS, ON CONSTITUTIONAL DEDICATION OF HIGHWAY FUNDS. WHEREAS, the economy of the State of Texas flows over its system of highways, freeways, urban arterial streets and rural roads, with many of its counties, cities and towns served solely by rubber -tired transportion, and WHEREAS, this vital transportion resource, developed cooperatively by Texans at all levels of government, is essential to the State's business, industry and emergency requirements and to the mobility, welfare and recreational needs of its citizens and visitors, and WHEREAS, the State's road system serves both rural and urban citizens in the distribution and marketing of food and supplies, and WHEREAS, the construction, maintenance, operation and improvement of Texas highways and roads are vital to the safety of its over seven million licensed drivers and the additional millions of visiting vehicle operators, and WHEREAS, the excellence and adequacy of this system must be maintained, and WHEREAS, the State of Texas possesses one of the finest highway systems in the world, directly attributable to the choice of its citizens, expressed at the polls, for funds dedicated to this purpose, and WHEREAS, these funds, dedicated in the Constitution from highway user revenues, promote and enhance the State's educational and law enforcement system, as well, and WHEREAS, this method of financing represents one of the fairest means of taxation ever devised at the lowest possible cost, and WHEREAS, the Texas Constitutional Revision Commission, i after exhaustive study and deliberation, recommended retention of this constitutionally dedicated fund, and WHEREAS, the provision will continue to furnish funds to local government with the remainder divided on the basis of three-fourths to highway and road purposes, including law enforce ment on this transportion system, and one-fourth to the Available School Fund of the State of Texas, now therefore be it RESOLVED, that the City of Pearland recommends to the Texas Constitutional Convention, beginning its deliberations in Austinf Texas, on January 8, 1974, that it retain the consititutional provision dedicating highway use revenues as approved by a substantial majority of Texas voters and reaffirmed by the Texas Constitutional Revision Commission, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this Resolution be furnished to delegates to the Texas Constitutional Convention. PASSED and APPROVED this /b day of A. D. 1973. CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ATTEST: PEARLAND, TEXAS : (1) d . Al City Secret y Mayor • Councilman ,(2.77,1:Lr7 Cou ilman Counci m n Councilman 0 . bL) . -41k4 Councilman - • • _ . " • - - - • „ " - . _ . , . . • . ._• „. . _ - „ • . . . . . . . . , . . . . . , .• . . • .• ,... v_ ,, . , . . . . " • . . _ . _ , • , • . _ . . . . . . . . _ . . _. . . . . . . • I • • • • • December 11, 1973 I " Texas Good Roads Association • Suite 302, Vaughn Building Austin, Texas 78701 • Gentlemen: We are enclosing copy of Resolution No. 73-19, passed and approved by the City Council of Pearland in a regular meeting held on December 10, 1973. This Resolution is to be included in your brochure that you plan to present to each member of the Legislature, as our indication of support on constitutional dedication of highway funds. We support your efforts in this matter and if we can be of any further assistance, please let us know. • Very truly yours, Carlton McComb Mayor, City of Pearland CMc:dlc - enc. y S • TEXAS GO ,"; ROADS ASSOCIAT,10: : 4tip00p�� Suite 302;Vaughn Building • OFFICERS M Austin,Texas 78701 RUSS ChairmanL PERRY ''rrp�l�`�e A/C 51.2 478-9351 Dallas First Vice Chairman WADE LORENZ //��tt �� �� Freeport l�,,C��'- :, Second Vice Chairman ' f\'- JACK JEFFREY sq((� October 1973 Waco p Treasurer loci, .291913 JAMES E. SAXTON,JR. q� Austin PAST CHAIRMEN CITY OF CHARLES K. DEVALL PRt FND Kilgore TOM K EPLEN Abilene CALLAN GRAHAM . . '-• Junction CHARLES F. HAWN TEXAS MAYORS AND. Athens ` CITY COUNCILMEN: RAY M. KECK,JR. Laredo JACK H. KULTGEN Waco The Texas Legislature will meet in January as a Constitutional LESLIE SanAtonio SR. Convention. One of the most important decisions they will make is San Antonio W. M. NEYLAND whether to retain the "good roads" amendment in the present consti- Corpus Christi VIRGIL P. PATTERSON { tution -- reserving 3/4 of the state gasoline tax for highway con- Amarillo FRITZ THOMPSON struction, maintenance, and policing -- and 1/4 for public schools. Borger EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE While the Constitutional Revision Commission has recommended WILLIAM H. .IaBINGTON 1 the retention of this provision, the Convention has no obligation s THOMAS A. BARTON to do so. Houston PAUL EUG� Dallas The issue is reallywhether the excellence of the Texas highway TED L. EDWARDS g y Austin ; system -- generally recognized as the finest in the world -- should JACK Fort Worth be be continued or if highway funds should be diverted to pay for other JOHN H state programs. Dallasas MARK HULINGS Corpus ARCH LAMB' We believe that present and future highway needs must be met. Lubbock highways W. E. McKEMIE,JR. Adequate g ways are essential to the Texas economy -- to the Austin safety of over seven million licensed drivers -- and to the life JAMES D. PIPER San Antonio style completely dependent on mobility. JAMES D. PITCOCK,JR. Houston J. D.SARTWELLE The Texas Good Roads Association is compiling a brochure to Houston CHARLES H. SCHMIDT present to each member of the Legislature to show how most Texans Amarillo ALLANSHIVERS feel about this issue. We hope to have an expression of support from Austin everymayor or citycouncil in Texas in this brochure. " We will a re- W. B. SNELLGROVE Y pp Beaumont ciate it if your council will adopt an appropriate resolution -- HONORARY MEMBERS similar to the examples enclosed -- and send us a copy. We urge you JOEM. DEALEY to put the resolution in your own words to emphasize the points you Dallas JAMES W. FRANCIS feel are most important. San Antonio DEWITT C. GREER • Austin Every community -- and every Texan -- has a stake in this. WALTER B. MOORE Dallas ' Please help us achieve the broadest possible representation in the R.O.WILSON 1 brochure. Dallas H. B.ZACHRY San Antonio Sincerely, STAFF �� • EUGENE W. ROBBINS President Eugene W. Robbins WELDON HART Director of Public Relations EWR:rr GLENN M.GREEN Executive Assistant Encl osures { (Ai (TEXAS GOOD ROADS ASSOCIATION) ' Draft ` 1 Resolution on Constitutional © f Dedication of Highway Funds �� WHEREAS, the economy of the'-State of Texas flows over its system of ( 1 highways, freeways','‘urban arterial streets and rural roads, with many of its 9�` counties, cities and towns served solely by rubber-tired transportation, and WHEREAS, this 'vital transportation resource, developed cooperatively by }ff}JJJ Texans at all levels''of government, is essential to the State's business, industry and emergency requirements and to the mobility, welfare and recreational needs of its citizens and visitors, and WHEREAS, the State's road system serves both rural and urban citizens in the distribution and marketing of food and supplies, and WHEREAS, the construction, maintenance, operation and improvement of Texas highways-and-roads-are--v tal—to'the-safe`ty-of-its-over even-mrllio,i - - drivers and the additional millions of visiting vehicle operators, and WHEREAS, the excellence and adequacy of this system must be maintained, and WHEREAS, the State of Texas possesses one of the finest highway and road systems in the world, directly attributable to the choice of its citizens, expressed at the polls, for funds dedicated to this purpose, and WHEREAS, these funds, dedicated in the Constitution from highway user revenues, promote and enhance the State's educational and law enforcement systems, as well, and WHEREAS, this method of financing represents one of the-fairest means of taxation ever devised at the lowest possible cost, and WHEREAS, the Texas Constitutional Revision Commission, after exhaustive study and deliberation, recommended retention of this constitutionally- dedicated fund, and WHEREAS, the provision will continue to furnish funds to local government with the remainder divided on the basis of three-fourths to highway and road purposes, including law enforcement on this transportation system, and' one-fourth to the Available School Fund of t t��//t he So 4 Texas, now therefore be it 'f'l!C t'7 O-c rt"-L RESOLVED, that me recommend to the Texas Constitutional Convention, —`-- '-`"`- -- -'lbeginning`its d-eliberalions`in Au"stir;Tekr�s, ori"-january S,'1974 ,that'i.'t-retain — ---- ----- the constitutional provision dedicating highway user revenues as approved by a substantial majority of Texas voters and reaffirmed by the Texas Constitutional • Revision Commission, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this: Re::olnlion be furnished to delegates to the Texas Constitutional Convention. • • Statement by: • Mayor Fosterrean City of Kilgore October 23, 1973 _ • There are many complimenlc: we can pay the Highway Commission, past and present, and the governors, past and ' • present, who have appointed them. They .have, without excep- tion, been men of integrity with a dedicated sense of duty, and they have kept and employed engineers, department heads, and personnel that could not help• hilt make them look good. This is a red-letter day for Kilgore for several reasons: (1) We a-ce proud of the fact that we. have the en- tire commission--so many distinguished people at one time--to honor our city with a visit. (2) .We desire to express our sincere appreciation in person for the work and cooperation of the Highway Depart- • ment in the building and improvement of roads in which we were and are vitally interested. • (3) We desire to impress on the. commission the im- portance of additional improvements needed in our immediate vicinity. We ask that while you are here, please look around. We do want to pledge to you our- 100% support in the commitment of highway-user taxes to highway purposes. We realize that it is a practical physical impossibility to build highways as fast as traffic increases; but without the commitment of these taxes for highway use, the result will be catastrophic. It therefore behooves everyone interested in the maintenance of our highway system to impress. on our legis- lators and our governor the importance of not diverting the highway-user taxes. . d qy � 4 " :k. k rr L Statement by Governor Dolph Briscoe October 16, 1973 Austin, Texas Texas is fortunate to have a highway system which many people feel is the number one system in the nation. Our splendid system of freeways, highways, and farm-to-market roads has contributed much_to the—development — -of our state during the past thirty years. It is because of the highway system -- as much as any other factor -- that Texas has grown and Texas is growing. We live in a world which depends upon mobility -- and we live in a time when every individual depends in large part on being able to get from one place to another with a maximum of convenience, safety, and ease. Texas highways have given the people of this state the mobility they want. . . But we in Texas, along with the rest of the nation, face a tremendous challenge in the area of highway safety. . . and my administration has committed the resources to meet these challenges. Increased agricultural production and industrialization -- creating new jobs and a better way of life for all Texans -- will call for increased highway mileage and increased highway capacity. Construction of highways has no end -- and really should have no end as long as Texas is growing. Retention of the current dedicated highway user tax fund -- composed of three fourths of the revenue from motor fuel taxes -- in the new state constitution is essential if we are going to continue to have an effective highway system. We will need all of the-revenue that can be dedicated to this purpose in the years ahead. . . Mass transit at some time -- and in some form -- has to be explored. But mass transportation will not reduce the need for highways. Texans are sort of independent. . .each wants to go in his own car. Highway building must go on. It has to have top priority in any administration. . .that is looking forward to the future of this state. . .