Election proposition could add funding for Texas highway fund

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- On Tuesday, voters will have the chance to give a financial boost to state transportation projects. Proposition 1 is a constitutional amendment that would help overcome the State Highway Fund's budget shortfall. It would do this by re-directing half of new energy tax revenue from the so-called Rainy Day Fund to Texas road projects.

Ashley Mangin thinks Prop 1 will improve her mobile dog-grooming business. Mangin makes house calls all over Houston, and she hopes improved highways will help her spend less time in traffic.

"Getting around Houston, that is challenging... You have to know the roads, you have to know the roads, you've got to know the traffic pattern," she explains.

She says traffic has gotten so bad, she has had to reduce the number of clients she sees each day. "Time is money, and if you are sitting in traffic, you are not making money."

The organization Move Texas Forward urges voters to give Proposition 1 the green light, since it was approved by the Texas Legislature last year.

"We have a lot of other things competing for attention right now, it's the season of politics, so there's a lot of commercials and advertising for the candidates, so we need to make sure that we are getting our message out," Scott Haywood, President of Move Texas Forward explains.

Even though Prop 1 does not require any new taxes, fees, or tolls, opponents question whether it's an appropriate use of taxpayer money.

"The idea of the Rainy Day Fund is that it's there for an unexpected emergency," Barry Klein, President of the Houston Property Rights Association says. "Congestion is not an emergency. It is a fact of life that road users are adjusting to."

Proposition 1 received strong bi-partisan support from lawmakers, but it would only be a first step in bridging the funding gap for Texas road projects. Experts say in addition to the $1.7 billion annually that the Proposition 1 funding would provide, the state would still need an additional $3-4 billion per year to help build and maintain state roads.