SH121T Talking Points
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Proponents have claimed the highway will cost Fort Worth taxpayers
nothing,
but in a December 1998 City Council meeting an assistant city manager
admitted
that the city could expect to pay $50 million in land acquisition and
utility
realignment costs.
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The city charter prohibits council from entering into a contract that
requires
expenditures unless that money is in the budget. The costs of SH121T
were
not in the budget when the city executed the interlocal agreement with
the Tollway Authority and TxDOT for this road. That agreement is
therefore subject to challenge.
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The tolls will pay for less than 1/4 the cost of the road while the
taxpayers
will pay 3/4 of the cost. Users will have to pay a toll to use the road
forever. The taxpayer cost would be sufficient to build a 12 mile light
rail system rather than a 13 mile road.
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Proponents claim SH121T will alleviate traffic, but 2 studies, one for
the Tollway Authority and one by NCTCOG have shown less than a 5%
traffic
improvement for Hulen and Bryant Irvin.
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According to the city's financial planning, a TIF will be created to
capture tax increases near the road (due to development that has never
been described or even proposed in detail). If development does occur,
regular taxes on everyone in the city would pay for the costs to
service those improvements.
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Less than 5% of Fort Worth residents will ever use the highway
according
to the Tollway Authority, yet Fort Worth is the only municipality that
will be contributing to construction costs.
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