When residents notice a problem with city services or note something that needs to be called to the city's attention, they usually pick up the phone or send an email. The easiest number to remember is (972) 205-2000, the city's receptionist that pleasantly forwards the call to the proper department. That works amazingly well. For those that wish to directly contact a department, I have a list of numbers on my website (link is usually at the bottom of each blog post, too), as does the city's website. There are even refrigerator magnets with department numbers available through the City Secretary's office and other departments (or print the one at the link ).

DMN's map-based Problem Tracker Source: DMN

 
A new service from the Dallas Morning News looks interesting. At their Garland Community webpage, visitors can link on the Problem Tracker to literally mark where problems exist and the newspaper will send an email to the city. One unique aspect is that others can "jump on board" to agree that a problem exists.
 
According to reporter Karel Holloway at the DMN Garland Blog, "The Morning News just started a new online feature called Problem Tracker. It's a map-based system that let's you report non-emergency problems. You can detail the issue and even upload a photo. Just click on the map where the problem is and type in a description. The city will automatically get an e-mail about the problem and other Garland residents will be able to see the city's hotspots."
 
It's a cool idea but I think it misses half the equation and might lead to a lot of exasperated users. One person might want something, like a new street light at a particular intersection. Maybe his family and twenty others will agree and "vote up" the idea. It might be a horrible idea from a traffic planning perspective yet it would be there being tracked. There could be three thousand other residents that would be negatively impacted by something that would benefit very few but we won't hear from them.

Garland Citizen's Request Center

 
Still, it's a great chance to catch ideas that might otherwise go unnoticed but it is a tool that has to be weighed by other factors. I'm not sure how that will be accomplished.
 
This is a great time to remind everyone that the city does like to collect these suggestions and offers a number of ways to do so. In addition to those ways mentioned above, a particularly good method is use of the city's Citizen's Request Center, a link is available on the front page of the city's website. It offers answers to many questions, accepts requests and questions, and allows users to track their submittals. This route will get you a direct response.
 
No matter how you choose to communicate to the city, know that your inquiry or suggestion is always welcome. It's your city.
 

There is more news today in the Dallas Morning News about the North Texas Turnpike Authority's efforts to curtail scofflaws that don't pay tolls. I briefly mentioned those efforts a couple days ago.
 
In briefings to the Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition from NTTA representatives, I have heard a number of times of the need for greater effort. There are some drivers that repeatedly use the tollways without paying, even daily at the same times. The new toll collection system will document those drivers by capturing the vehicle license numbers, making enforcement much easier.
 
The article also quotes Bob Day, Garland's immediate past mayor and NTTA director.
 
Here's how violators will also be creating very expensive penalties for themselves if they don't pay tolls and do so timely:
 

Dallas Morning News, July 1:

Left unpaid, North Texas Tollway Authority tolls grow – and fast

07:07 AM CDT on Wednesday, July 1, 2009
By MICHAEL A. LINDENBERGER / The Dallas Morning News
mlindenberger@dallasnews.com
 
How do you turn an $80 bill into a $2,000 monkey on your back?
 
Spend two weeks using the North Texas Tollway Authority's growing network of toll roads, then ignore your bills for as little as 45 days, and you're likely to find out.
 
As it prepares to raise toll rates next month, NTTA has increased its efforts to collect the money it is owed by drivers who use its roads without a toll tag, and then refuse to pay or simply ignore bills sent to their homes.
 
To encourage them to pay up, the agency tacks on a $25 fee for every toll transaction that isn't paid after 45 days and two notices. With a typical one-way trip on a toll road involving several toll transactions, those fines can quickly turn two weeks of toll use into a four-figure affair.

How an unpaid toll can spin out of control. Click to enlarge. Source: DMN

 
The agency hopes that painful kick in the pocketbook will reverse a trend in which it has identified tens of thousands of drivers who refuse to pay 13 million toll transactions. Those tolls are worth $9 million, not enough money to head off NTTA's toll increase, but money that the authority badly needs.
 
Repeat offenders
 
Most violators are repeat offenders who simply ignore the bills – which often are for just a few dollars – that are mailed to them after a video camera captures their license plates. Others are drivers who rarely use toll roads, but are being hit with hundreds of dollars in fines after failing to pay minor toll amounts.
 
It's a bad situation for both drivers and the NTTA, authority officials said. But it's not likely to change any time soon.
 
"Are we satisfied with this system?" asked agency chairman Paul Wageman at a meeting two weeks ago. "No, we are not."
 
But with toll rates about to go up, and overall revenue below expectations, Wageman said the authority must get tough with drivers who use the roads but don't pay. "It's theft of service," he said.
 
Most collections are simple for NTTA. Indeed, the vast majority of its customers pay in advance. When a driver gets a toll tag, NTTA links his or her account to a debit or credit card, and charges $40 up front. Every time the balance reaches $10, the agency debits another $40.
 
In 2008, 75 percent of NTTA's 428 million toll transactions involved a toll tag customer. Twelve percent came from drivers paying at cash booths.
 
But 13 percent or so of the transactions are from drivers without toll tags.
 
NTTA is fast doing away with cash toll booths. And at locations without them, drivers without a tag drive straight through the electronic toll gantries, just like toll tag customers do. A camera takes a picture of their license plates and NTTA sends them a bill for each toll transaction.
 
Adds up quickly
 
Unless drivers purposely avoided a cash booth, the bill from NTTA is only for the tolls owed. If drivers don't pay after 45 days, and a second notice, the costs spike upward. That's when NTTA sends a bill that includes the $25 fines for each transaction.
 
That can mean hundreds, or thousands, of dollars quickly. Driving back and forth from Frisco to Dallas on the Dallas North Tollway will rack up eight tolls a day, or 40 in a workweek.
 
NTTA will cut up to two-thirds of the fines if the driver pays within a total of 75 days. After that the bill is sent to a collection agency and negotiations end, spokeswoman Sherita Coffelt said.
 
"Our goal is not to put someone in the poor house," she said. "The goal is to collect the tolls we are owed and to recover the cost of collection."
 
Richard Jordan knows this story well – and he has had a toll tag for 15 years. His bank was recently bought out and issued him new credit cards, making his card on file with NTTA invalid. When NTTA tried to debit his account for a series of toll transactions, it could not. It mailed him a bill for about $20, which Jordan said he did not pay.
 
"I see a bill for $10 or $20, it's not going to be top of mind," he said.
 
He called NTTA last week and learned his case had been sent to a collection agency. The agency told him his bill was more than $2,000. He eventually worked out a settlement with NTTA for about $180, he said, but remains furious and is considering hiring a lawyer.
 
Coffelt said no collection agency has the authority to arrest anyone. But law enforcement does get involved eventually.
 
The collection agency has 35 days to collect the debt. After that, the matter is turned over to Department of Public Safety, which will issue a single citation to drivers who have failed to pay. Once a citation is issued, drivers are given court dates in a local justice of peace court. Failure to show up for court leads to an arrest warrant, spokesman Tom Vinger said.
 
13 million tolls
 
But with NTTA trying to collect against 13 million tolls, those courts are overwhelmed, meaning that the most delinquent customers are least likely to ever have to pay. And for drivers who feel they were wronged, their day in court may be months or years down the road.
 
A bill that would have given NTTA the power to create its own administrative court to handle fines died in the Legislature this year. Wageman said NTTA will try again in 2011.
 
Meanwhile, NTTA feels squeezed. It owes creditors about $6 billion, and they want to know that its revenue projects won't be undone by unreliable collections. But just as clearly the system in place isn't working.
 
In the first four months of 2009, Coffelt said, about half the cars without toll tags were deemed uncollectible from the start, either because they were in vehicles with dealer tags or the camera wasn't able to get a good picture of the license plate.
 
The other half got bills in the mail.
 
"The truth is that you can't ever collect all the tolls" from non-tag users, Coffelt said. "But you save so much in capital cost, operations and maintenance that those savings offset the small uncollectible portion of revenue."
 
By 2011, NTTA will have no cash booths at all, lowering costs overall but also making it increasingly important that it figure out how to collect its unpaid tolls. Its biggest hope is to convince more people to sign up for toll tags.
 
NTTA board member Bob Day has proposed making it easier to sign up, even if drivers don't have a credit card and can't afford the $40 upfront deposit.
 
But for now drivers beware: Those small bills from NTTA are likely to add up to big problems, and fast.
 

Crossing north Garland, for most people, involves using the turnpike. Tolltags or cash have been necessary for years to traverse District 1. As of today, the cash requirement disappears. If you don't have a tolltag, you'll get a bill by mail.
 

NTTA Press Release:

All-Electronic Toll Collection Begins July 1
Coins and Cash No Longer Accepted on Bush Turnpike

The North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) will convert the President George Bush Turnpike (Bush Turnpike) to all-electronic toll collection (all-ETC) on Wednesday, July 1, 2009.
 
By 12:01 a.m. July 1, the Bush Turnpike will become a cashless toll facility. The traditional cash booth lanes will be closed and video tolling will be in effect at all plazas allowing all motorists to drive through all plazas without stopping to pay. Customers who do not have a TollTag will receive ZipCash invoices in the mail after their trips.
 
"The safety of our customers during this conversion is our highest priority," said Clayton Howe, NTTA assistant executive director of operations. "All motorists, whether they are TollTag or ZipCash customers, should keep moving. We also ask that our TollTag customers slow down and use caution while motorists who currently use cash adapt to the new way to pay and the smoother flow of traffic."
 
The transition is scheduled to be complete by 6 a.m. July 1, 2009, prior to the morning commute. After the conversion, all customers will travel in the main lanes through each toll plaza and through the right-hand lanes at the ramp plazas. Additional signage and traffic monitors will be in place to remind drivers to keep moving through the plazas.
 
After the July 1 conversion, construction crews will return to replace the temporary barricades with more permanent structures. The post-conversion work is expected to be completed mid-October.
 
"Traffic may move slower this week as drivers adjust to all-electronic toll collection on the President George Bush Turnpike," said Howe.
 
Over the past several months, crews have installed equipment, new signage and temporary barricades as well as re-configured lanes at two main lane toll plazas along the Bush Turnpike to prepare for the all-ETC conversion. In addition, the NTTA conducted several public meetings along the Bush Turnpike corridor, created an all-ETC Web page and ran advertisements to raise public awareness about the conversion.
 
All-ETC is quickly gaining in popularity across the country because of the advancements in technology and its many benefits to the toll road customer. Benefits of the all-ETC conversion of NTTA facilities include time savings, added convenience, increased safety, improved air quality and fuel efficiency, which translates to cost savings.
 
For more information about the all-ETC conversion or to get a TollTag, please visit www.ntta.org.

 
UPDATE: An article in today's Dallas Morning News carries some additional information.
 

Dallas County has asked Garland to pilot a program that would restrict those that owe fines from being able to register/re-register their vehicles. The ability to do so under law has existed for over 10 years but has not been widely implemented. The proposal was presented to Council at a recent work session (Item 1) and will soon be on a regular meeting agenda for possible adoption.
 
The North Texas Turnpike Authority announced yesterday that they too will be seriously addressing violations by scofflaws. Their method will be to significantly increase the penalties for unpaid invoices. After a period, notice will be sent to a collection agency or to the Department of Public Safety for further action.
 
Simply, there are a large number of habitual violators that don't pay fines or tolls. Chasing down each such violator to serve warrants and hope he will appear in court and pay fines is a futile exercise, often costing more than the fine. Not issuing vehicle registrations to such scofflaws does offer a greater chance of accountability and, hopefully, adherence to the law.
 
Ray Leszcynski recently covered the city and county's efforts in the Dallas Morning News:
 

The Dallas Morning News, Metro Section, June 20, 2009:

Garland to target scofflaw drivers

12:00 AM CDT on Saturday, June 20, 2009
By RAY LESZCYNSKI / The Dallas Morning News
rleszcynski@dallasnews.com
 
Dallas County officials have picked Garland to become the first city in the area to block vehicle registration to those who haven't paid traffic court fines.
 
Dallas County early this year became the third county to implement the Scofflaw Program, which was introduced to the Garland City Council this week. A law passed in 1997 allows taxing authorities to refuse vehicle registration.
 
County Commissioner Mike Cantrell said that Dallas is next and that the program could be expanded to include every city in the county.
 
"There is $210 million in outstanding county fines," said Cantrell, who asked Garland to pilot the program. "If you add all 26 cities in, it could reach more than a billion dollars."
 
Garland Court Director Paige Bobbitt said that there are about 3,800 new traffic warrants in Garland this year and that the program will focus on cases at least 60 days past due.
 
"This particular program is going to apply to criminal traffic violations and also red light cameras, which are civil violations," George Kauffman, the city's managing director of finance, told the Garland City Council.
 
The Garland council is expected to approve the program July 7. Bobbitt hopes it can be up and running within a month and says Garland should know how effective the program is within six months.
 
Dallas probably will implement the program by the end of the summer. And judging by the flood of calls, Bobbitt said, several other Dallas County cities won't be far behind.
 
While an effective tool, blocking registration hasn't proven to be the key to closing the floodgates on unpaid fines. The program was implemented in El Paso County in 2003 and has been responsible for clearing about $2.6 million in city and county fines to date.
 
Bobbitt said Garland hopes to collect on about 25 percent of eligible cases.
 
"Some people, when they hear about this program, are going to come in and pay on their own, like when we announce a warrant roundup," she said. "So there will be others that we collect that we can't say were covered by this particular program."
 
Those who clear their fines at the Garland Municipal Court can take the proof of payment to the county offices a half-mile away to get their vehicle registrations. And Garland will update cleared cases daily so that warrants don't keep showing up in county records.
 
The program will cost the city less than 5 percent of the revenue it generates and is focused on bringing people into compliance, rather than arrests.
 
"All we want them to do is take care of their business," Cantrell said.
 

Almost every governmental entity in the area, and the nation, is experiencing budget constrictions. I've written about Garland's challenges. I also watch what other entities are doing, how hard they are being hit, and how they deal with the challenge.
 
Dallas County is in the same boat. Commissioners asked every department to prepare a budget 10% lower than the previous year. Commissioner Mike Cantrell reported that every department had attempted to do so ... except the District Attorney. Some departments cut much more than 10%. The actual cuts will be determined by the commissioners based on where they see the priorities.
 
I posted a couple weeks ago about a "Town Hall" meeting conducted at City Hall by DA Craig Watkins. Owner and editor of the The Garland News, Jay Jones, was there and wrote about his impressions. It was interesting to note that his impressions were similar to mine. He included a lot of details that I skipped. His observations are below. Needless to say, I don't think the DA's efforts constitute an effective method of lobbying the commissioners.
 

The Garland News, June 11:

District Attorney, County Commissioner debate budget cuts

By Jay Jones, Editor
҈
A public meeting was held in the Garland city council chamber on Tuesday, June 2, where District Attorney Craig Watkins and Dallas County Commissioner for District 2, Mike Cantrell, squared-off in a debate over the county’s budget cuts for fiscal year 2009-2010. Due to an anticipated decrease in property tax revenue for 2009 and 2010, the Court asked Watkins and all other county department heads to cut their budgets 10 percent.
 
By 7 p.m., every seat in the council chamber was occupied and those lacking a place to sit were lined up against the walls. It became clear early on that most of the audience consisted of Watkins’s employees when Cantrell asked the DA’s employees to stand.
 
Watkins said crime would increase if his budget was cut because he would have to lay off several staff members. He also said it would cost the county more in the long run because those who had been charged with a crime, but couldn’t make bail or were being held without bail, would spend more time in the county’s jail awaiting trial. Watkins said with his current budget, his office only averaged six trials monthly—three jury trials and three trials where a defendant’s innocence or guilt is decided by the trial judge.
 
At $57 a day to house a prisoner, Watkins said it wouldn’t take long before the increased expense of housing prisoners for longer periods would surpass a 10 percent budget cut.
 
Watkins’s speech was followed by a Power Point presentation by Watkins’s staff member, Lincoln Monroe.
 
Cantrell then presented his case using a Power Point presentation. Cantrell’s presentation included information that the District Attorney controlled discretionary accounts totaling $2,351,000. Cantrell said the DA wouldn’t have to lay off any staff members if he would use this money to pay his staff members.
 
Cantrell’s supporters listened to Watkins’s speech without interruption, but Watkins’s employees and supporters did not extend the same courtesy to Cantrell.
 
Cantrell told Watkins that if he would meet with him and Commissioner John Wiley Price, they could reach a budget agreement in one day. A few seconds before the meeting was adjourned, Cantrell got a “yes” from Watkins when he asked him the third or fourth time if he would meet with him and Price. On June 10 Cantrell told the ’News that they were supposed to meet with the DA on Thursday, June 11.
 
Watkins plans to hold a public budget meeting in the three other County Commissioner Districts. Commissioner Price has said he would not attend such a meeting, while Commissioners Dickey and Mayfield have yet to say yea or nay.
 

Following my last post, Garland has issued the following news release. Residents get advance warning by phone of serious storms that might be approaching. Citizens must "opt-in" to get the notifications but that's easy.
 

City of Garland News Release:

Garland Adds Important Upgrades to CodeRED

Garland, Texas – The City of Garland has added two important upgrades to its CodeRED telephone notification system.
 
First, a new severe weather early warning system has been added, which automatically launches calls specific geographic areas that are in the path of tornados, severe thunderstorms and other hazardous weather developments. These automated warnings can provide critical preparation time when severe weather threatens.
 
"As soon as the National Weather Service issues the warning, the calls begin going to the areas affected," says Dorothy White, Public & Media Affairs Manager for the City of Garland. "Since these notifications are automatic, residents and businesses must opt-in for these specialized notifications."
 
To "opt-in" for the automatic weather warnings, go to the City of Garland website at www.ci.garland.tx.us, click on the CodeRED icon on the left side of the page and follow the prompts. Those who are registering for the first time can follow the same instructions.
 
When a CodeRED weather warning call is received, the number 800-566-9780 will be displayed by caller-ID.
 
The City will continue to use CodeRED in other emergency situations such as a hazardous chemical spill, major utility outage, or an Amber or Silver Alert. But the number displayed by caller-ID will change to 866-419-5000, which a citizen can call back from the phone that received the CodeRED alert and listen to the message again with a time and date stamp.
 
"This is particularly important for citizens who may not have heard the message clearly when they answered their phone or those whose voicemail greetings may have clipped part of the recorded message," says Ms. White.
 
Caller-ID will also display the name "Emergency Communications Network" for most telephone customers.
 
For customers without access to a computer or internet service, registration forms are available at City Hall, all branches of the Nicholson Memorial Library System, City recreation centers and other City government facilities.
 

"Don't know why, There's no sun up in the sky, Stormy weather."
 
The high winds, stormy weather, and tornado warnings last night did not bother my son as much as the interuptions to one of his favorite television shows. I think adults took the storms more seriously.
 
The rains this morning kept our emergency responders extremely busy. Fire Chief Danny Grammer reported that from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. 12 citizens were pulled to safety from flooded areas, mainly in the southwest portion of the city. Drivers were diverted from high-water areas by numerous fire crews and police officers. The Swift-water Rescue Team pulled one person from Duck Creek.
 
There were numerous house fires as the rain fell. At least some were caused by lightening hits. In each case, swift reaction enabled fire fighters to keep the fires relatively well contained, limiting damage to the area where the fires started.
 
Also, there were numerous traffic accidents during this same period.
 
In District 1, we had a house fire off Pleasant Valley Rd.
 
Later today, unrelated to the rain, an explosion occurred off Muirfield Ave inside a house that was being painted. Both of the painters received burns and were transported to the hospital.
 
Some days are sleeping days and others are like the last 24 hours. The city's CodeRED alert system was recently upgraded to also report weather warnings. Those that had previously registered need to register again to get the additional warnings. One of the benefits is being able to give a secondary number for notification. Both will be called. So, even if you're away from your home, you can receive warnings on your mobile phone.
 
I strongly urge everyone to take the 1.23 minutes necessary to go the city's CodeRED webpage and register for the enhanced warnings. The next time we have a day like we did today, you'll wish you had. Really, it only takes a minute or two and you're done.

Concert and Movie Series at Firewheel Town Center Saturday Concert & Events Movie June 20 Elvis and Music of the 50s GREASE June 27 Ken Savage & the Best Kept Secret INDIANA JONES: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK July 4 Radio Disney – 2:00 p.m. Garland Chorale – 4:00 p.m. Rockwall Community Band – 4:30 p.m. Dallas Praise Orchestra – 5:30 p.m. Ken Savage & the Best Kept Secret– 6:30 p.m. INDEPENDENCE DAY July 11 Dallas Metropolitan Winds JURASSIC PARK July 18 Lakeshore Symphonic Winds BACK TO THE FUTURE July 25 Dallas Metropolitan Winds IRON MAN August 1 Lakeshore Symphonic Band SPIDERMAN 3

 
Everyone has probably heard that the city won't be presenting Star Spangled Fourth this July. Budget cuts and all. But the good news is that Firewheel Town Center is presenting free entertainment on Saturdays through much of the summer, June 20 to August 1.
 
Melody Kamp, Firewheel's Marketing Director, has been keeping me up to date on their plans and shared this information:
 

 
"Summer Concert Series & Movies Under the Stars" will be a perfect venue for providing free, family-friendly entertainment for the summer season at Firewheel Town Center. Beginning Saturday, June 20 and running through Saturday, August 1, families can enjoy events each Saturday evening in the Park. We are excited to bring this to Firewheel for families to enjoy.
 
There will be a 30- x 20-foot movie screen in the Park. The Park provides a perfect location for families to bring their blankets and lawn chairs. This location is also surrounded by our children's stores, new teen stores and fast food restaurants. We will be able to include bounce houses, face painting and vendors in displays surrounding the Park to create a fun, festive atmosphere.
 
We are working with AMC Theatres, which will have their grand opening of the new IMAX screen at Firewheel Town Center on Wednesday, June 24, starting with the blockbuster movie, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. They are excited. The Boy Scouts will be helping with donations of school supplies for the Salvation Army.
 

 
I hope to see you in the park!
 

 
I heard a number of summaries on the latest Legislative session and read many others. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Sine Die, I was very disappointed that North Texans were not given the ability and choice to address the enormous challenges we have coming in the next several years with local transportation. We know our population will continue to grow. We know that our air quality will continue to be a problem. We know that our highways are among the most congested in the country and will get worse.
 
A vast majority of North Texas leaders supported efforts to ask the Legislature to empower us to solve our problems. The proposed solution was to ask the local citizens on a county-by-county basis to approve certain transportation and transit solutions. To pay for those projects, citizens would have to approve certain increased fees and a fuel tax. How much more democratic does it get than that?
 
Yes, it would have involved new taxes. I have never advocated more taxes but there are times when taxes are necessary (police, fire, army, roads).
 
As Garland's representative to the Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition, I have, with those other North Texas leaders, been very involved with the issue for almost three years, serving on the Legislative Committee most of that time.
 
For a little more perspective into this last session, DRMC's Executive Director shared some insights with members today. I thought you might also be interested:
 

From John Carpenter, Executive Director, Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition:

 
The 81st Texas Legislative Session was very unusual, and the transportation agenda suffered as a result.
 
Although the Session was disappointing, it was not completely surprising. Considering the slim Republican margin in the House of Representatives and the Speaker's promise not to interfere with the will of the House, little leadership was evident, and transportation interests paid the price.
 
While the Senate acted with relative efficiency and responsibility to move our legislation and to sidetrack some bad bills and amendments, the House, for political and partisan reasons, slowed to a crawl. You all watched as the Democratic caucus slowed the work of the House to the point that many major bills died because of the Democrats' effort to avoid taking up the voter ID legislation; it was a skillful use of the rules and a brilliant strategy. There were also some hard feelings among House members towards the Senate for sending over the bill in the first place.
 
Because many important bills were never considered by the House, key provisions were added to House bills in the Senate. The Senate amendments to HB 300, otherwise known as the TxDOT Sunset Bill, were particularly noteworthy.
 
It became obvious that the House had little, if any, appetite for our TLOTA [Texas Local Option Transportation Act] legislation. SB 855 was drastically changed in the House to eliminate all revenue-generating options, except for a 10-cent motor fuels tax, and the House expanded the bill to cover all 25 MPOs in the state. Perhaps this was to ensure that if the bill were to make it to the floor, it would fail.
 
As further evidence of the House's underwhelming enthusiasm for the bill, it was placed on the House's General State Calendar rather than the Major State Calendar. Once the intentional slowdown began, it became apparent that SB 855 was doomed.
 
The support of our own House delegation was also disappointing. Neither of the House Transportation Committee members from the Metroplex supported us in our efforts to pass the cornerstone of our legislative program.
 
To their credit, Senator John Carona and Rep. Vicki Truitt never gave up. Senator Carona quickly amended a slimmed-down version of the TLOTA legislation onto HB 300. It became clear that our only hope was to prevail in a conference committee. We knew at this point that the House would not concur with the numerous Senate amendments. In addition to the TLOTA amendment, the Senate also deleted the elimination of the use of red light cameras, among many other items. HB 300, as it was sent back to the House, was well over 1,000 pages.
 
The conferees could not and would not agree on the TLOTA provisions. Senator Carona and Rep. Truitt worked feverishly to generate support for HB 300 with the TLOTA provisions included, but it was not to be. Ultimately, the conference committee report for HB 300 did not include TLOTA, but neither chamber voted on the report, and the TxDOT Sunset recommendations died upon adjournment.
 
The rest of the DRMC Legislative Program fared little better. While we made attempts to move the legislation, and we did enjoy some success early on, our bills and the bills of many other constituencies fell victim to the House calendar. Once May 26 came and went, and the House Democrats successfully slowed the pace to avoid consideration of the Voter ID legislation, all bills behind the Voter ID bill suffered the same fate.
 
Note that there is one bright spot. While we were not successful in statutorily or constitutionally ending diversions [diversions of fuel tax revenues from transportation projects], progress was made. SB 1, the General Appropriations Bill, cut diversions by $360 million. It also provided $182 million for rail relocation and improvement, which may help ease gridlock at the Tower 55 rail intersection in Tarrant County.