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North Central Texas Council of Governments
Grand Prairie council votes for commuter rail
The following article was found at Trains Community - Al Tuner Pages. The original source is currently unknown.
Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2000 -- GRAND PRAIRIE -- The City Council yesterday reluctantly approved a resolution allowing the city to participate in a planned 34-mile commuter rail line that would link Dallas and Fort Worth, but would not go through Grand Prairie.
The Trinity Railway Express, which would run north of Grand Prairie on the Rock Island Railroad, could cost the city $160,000 a year after its completion in fall 2001.
The council passed the resolution on a 6-2 vote. It allows City Manager Tom Hart to enter into a four-year interlocal agreement with the North Central Texas Council of Governments, which oversees the project.
Many council members said participating in the project was a trade-off because not joining the service could hurt the city's chance in benefiting from state and federal highway dollars. Jim Bledsoe and Richard Fregoe voted against the proposal, saying they couldn't support the service that wouldn't even stop in Grand Prairie.
Grand Prairie was the last of nine cities between Fort Worth and Dallas to agree to participate in the project, said Michael Morris, director of transportation for the North Central Texas Council of Governments.
Mayor Charles England, who voted for the resolution, said the railway will have a very small benefit to Grand Prairie because the closest stations are in Irving.
England also complained that Grand Prairie's contribution is the largest required out of nine cities asked to share operating costs with Fort Worth and Dallas. Arlington was asked to pay the second-highest amount, $140,000 a year.
Contributions are based on the projected number of riders from each city expected to use the railway.
The operating cost of the railway service is estimated at $9 million for the first year, with the nine cities between Dallas and Fort Worth subsidizing $775,000 of the cost. The Fort Worth Transportation Authority and Dallas Area Rapid Transit would bear the brunt of the cost.
Grand Prairie's allocation could be adjusted depending on a six-month ridership audit, city officials said. The city would not be required to pay any money until April 1, 2002, after the audit is conducted, they said.
In other matters, the council was briefed on the proposed 2000-01 budget, estimated at about $134 million. Hart is also recommending a half-cent property tax rate decrease. The city's current tax rate is 0.674998 per $100 of assessed property value.
Other highlights in the proposed budget include 28 new positions, salary increases and a 5 percent water bill reduction for residential customers. The salary increases would range from 5 percent for non-civil- service positions to a 5 percent step increase for civil service positions on the employees' anniversary dates. Both positions would receive market maintenance adjustments ranging from 2.4 percent to 9 percent.
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Last update: 09/29/2000
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