By: Bill King The Harris County toll roads are very profitable. Over the last decade, the toll revenue has grown from $610 mil-lion annually to $896 million, a 47% increase. Because the expenses for the toll road are mostly fixed, the net income from them has soared, growing by 78% ($230 million → $410 million). The cumulative profit over the last decade was just over $3.5 billion. The dramatic dip in net income in2021 reflects lower tolls due to the pandemic. 1,2 Texas law provides that excess income from tolls must be used for “the study, design, construction, maintenance, repair, or operation of roads, streets, high-ways, or other related facilities.” Using this authority Harris County annually transfers funds to its treasury. Th e transfers are included in the County’s general fund but are shown as “restricted” since they are supposed to only be used for transportation projects. In the County’s audits these restricted funds are referred to as the Mobility Fund. Over the last decade the County has transferred under $2.2 billion from HCTRA. As you can see, the transfers have been dramatically ramped up since the Democrats gained control of Commissioner’s Court. From 2014-2018, the Court transferred 44% of HCTRA’s net income. Since 2019 it has transferred 75%. I do not off er that observation as a criticism because I generally do not favor govern-mental entities hoarding funds, especially when we have pressing infra-structure needs. How-ever, it does raise the question of why, in the face of this surge in toll revenues, the County needs to raise property taxes by the 8% currently being discussed. I also worry whether transferring such a large portion of the toll roads’ income is prudent in the long term. The other question the transfers raise in my mind is exactly how the mobility funds are actually being spent. Th e state law provides that the County may transfer excess funds “without state approval, supervision, or regulation.” So, there is virtually no state oversight. I have not been able to find much public information on how the funds are being spent. Harris County’s monthly […]
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