NEWS BRIEFS
HGAC prepares to adopt transportation plan
PLANNING FOR 2045 The Houston-Galveston Area Council solicited public input for its 20-year plan.
BY RENEE FARMER
down federal and state funds into our eight-county region. It helps us pri- oritize and understand what projects should be funded, where we need to fund projects, and how to move for- ward,” said Anita Hollmann-Matijcio, H GAC’s regional planning manager, in a March 15 news release. The agency’s vision for 2045 is “a safe, resilient, equitable and reliable multimodal transportation system that contributes to a livable region,” according to the RTP. The plan addresses a number of transportation concerns gathered
TxDOT seeks input on its 2050 plan billion in expenditures for invest- ments in transit, operations and intersection improvements, a 24% increase from the 2040 update. This includes investing in more than 750 projects sponsored locally by 63 public entities. overwhelmingly prefer to travel safer and not necessarily faster, Holl- mann-Matijcio noted. Respondents outside of Beltway 8 wanted shorter commutes, reliable travel times, less congestion and better transit options. By 2045, the agency anticipates collecting $141 billion in revenue from federal and state allocations and tolls. It recommends $109
With the Houston region estimated to double its population by 2045, the Houston-Galveston Area Council has laid out its plans to accommodate the corresponding growth in transpor- tation needs with its 2045 Regional Transportation Plan Update. Following a public comment period from March 15-April 17, the H GAC’s Transportation Policy Council will approve and adopt the Regional Transportation Plan Update, or RTP, on April 28. H GAC updates its RTP, which guides major transportation investments, every four years. “The RTP allows for us to bring
Plan goals:
• Improve safety • Achieve and maintain a state of good repair • Move people and goods reliably and eciently • Strengthen regional economic competitiveness • Conserve and protect natural and cultural resources • • • • • SOURCE: HOUSTONGALVESTON AREA COUNCILCOMMUNITY IMPACT
from surveys held from April- July 2022. Survey participants
Texas Senate approves $16.5B in property tax relief
BY HANNAH NORTON
home’s value for tax purposes. The bill would increase the portion of a home’s value that cannot be taxed from $40,000 to $70,000, which lawmakers have said would save the average homeowner $341 annually. People with disabilities and those over the age of 65 receive an addi- tional exemption of $10,000, which would be raised to $30,000. SB 4, also by Bettencourt, would cut school property tax rates by $0.07 per $100 valuation. The state would provide school districts with at least $5.38 billion to make up for the lost revenue. The bill is also meant to lower how much “property-rich” school districts pay in recapture. Districts that bring in high property tax revenue are
required to return that money to the state, which distributes it to “proper- ty-poor” districts.
BY HANNAH NORTON
A $16.5 billion property tax relief package passed through the Texas Senate on March 22 with unanimous support. The package aims to save Texans money on their property tax bills by increasing the state homestead exemption, cutting school district property tax rates and limiting how much businesses can be taxed for their personal property. Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R Houston, authored two of the bills in the package, alongside Sen. Tan Parker, R Flower Mound. The rst component of the package, Senate Bill 3, would impact the state’s homestead exemption, which is a reduction in a portion of a
The Texas Department of Trans- portation is working on its long-range transportation plan, Connecting Texas 2050. Through May 31, Texans can provide input on the department’s goals. TxDOT kicked o the project in 2022. The agency is currently holding public meetings across Texas and will have another round of meetings in the fall. Early next year, TxDOT plans to host a statewide public hearing before the plan is adopted in summer 2024. Comments can be submitted at the in-person meetings, online, by email to connectingtexas2050@txdot.gov or by mail before May 31.
SENATE BILL PACKAGE A series of bills passed the Texas Senate aimed at property tax changes.
Senate Bill 3: The bill would increase the portion of a home’s value that cannot be taxed from $40,000 to $70,000. Senate Bill 4: The bill would cut school property tax rates by $0.07 per $100 valuation.
SOURCE: TEXAS LEGISLATURE COMMUNITY IMPACT
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THE WOODLANDS EDITION • APRIL 2023
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