BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Pete Sepulveda, executive director of Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority, says two legislative tools provided by the State of Texas, have been used to great effect by his group.
One is the ability of Cameron County Commissioners Court to impose an additional $10 for every registered vehicle in the county. The other is to create a county-wide transportation reinvestment zone (TRZ).
“We've capitalized on both,” Sepulveda said, in a speech to the South Texas Manufacturers Association. The meeting was held at Brownsville Events Center.
Sepulveda pointed out that the Texas Department of Transportation issues a ten-year plan every year. It is known as the Unified Transportation Plan (UTP).
“So, for example, in the 2025 UTP, the ten-year plan, there's $60 million of local matching funds needed from either Cameron County or the cities in Cameron County or the Cameron County RMA,” Sepulveda said.
“Sixty million dollars. If we do all the projects, that’s what is going to cost us. Between the additional vehicle registration fees and the TRZ, if I project the same amount of money I get today from the county for those two, times the ten years, it will give me $150 million. So, I have enough to pay the $60 million local match and $90 million left over for me to develop projects. What type of projects? The Second Causeway (to South Padre Island), the Outer Parkway (in Harlingen), and the East Loop (in Brownsville). So, a great, great legislative tools that Cameron County has been able to take advantage of.”
Sepulveda said not every city in the state has the ability to tap into those two legislative tools. “But we have,” he said, proudly.
“Looking at the future, our system of projects is worth $2 billion. If I project the amount of money I get today on the vehicle registration fee and on the transportation reinvestment zone, multiplied times 40 years - that is the amount of years left in the agreement for the TRZ - that’s going to give me $600 million. That is 25% of the $2 billion that I'm trying to develop.”
Sepulveda added: “I’ll tell you one thing, it's a lot easier for TxDOT, or for the Federal Highway Administration, to tell me ‘yes,’ when I tell them I'm willing to put up 20% to 25% than when I tell them I need 100% from you all.”
Sepulveda concluded: “So, we’re in extremely, extremely good shape, and that is why we've been able to attract additional state funding, additional federal funds for the projects that we're developing.
“Now that doesn't mean that we're going to use all 25% because what we try to do is, obviously, to make the local match as low as possible. Our average is about 90% state and federal money and 10% local.
“You can take that all across the nation and I can guarantee you that you're not going to find many governments that are that successful. But we have been because of the fact that we've been willing to put skin in the game.
“So, because of those two state legislative tools, we now have a sustainable transportation network system in Cameron County. So, I can tell you we're prepared for the SpaceX’s. We're prepared for the LNG’s. And any other industry that's coming into Cameron County.
“I have a good comfort level that we have an unlimited growth potential, and that that growth is going to be in an orderly manner.”
