LRGVDC resurrects plans to set up an RGV Regional Transit Authority

2 months ago 81

WESLACO, Texas – With a push from Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez and his Prosperity Task Force, the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council is resurrecting plans to have a regional transit authority (RTA) for the region.

State Rep. Armando Martinez passed legislation – HB 71 – to create such an entity five years ago but nothing happened.

Now, says LRGVDC Executive Director Manuel “Manny” Cruz, things are moving again. A meeting of elected officials and public transportation specialists was held at the LRGVDC offices in Weslaco in late May. Coming out of that meeting a Regional Mobility Advisory Committee was set up.

Asked if having the backing of the Hidalgo County Prosperity Task Force helps, LRGVDC Executive Director Manuel “Manny” Cruz” said: “Most definitely. That is heavens sent. It’s great that they support it because it makes our tasks and our jobs a lot easier; when you have the full support from elected officials. Because, at the end of the day, it’s their system, it’s their project. We deserve that mass transit, that rapid transit, that Regional Transit Authority, just as much as the big cities.”

In an in-depth interview with the Rio Grande Guardian, Cruz acknowledged that setting up a regional transit authority is a “huge endeavor,” mainly because of the funding needed. He said the entity would have to secure voter approval before it could begin.

“If they (the voters) approve we would create that regional transit authority,” Cruz said. “However, the way the (Martinez) bill is written, the funding streams would not be sufficient to continue with what we’re doing now with Valley Metro. (Under HB 71) 50 percent has to go to (light) rail and so that, as you know, is not feasible at this time. That (light rail) is another project we would look into if we become an RTA. There is more potential to do more with an RTA,” Cruz said.

Cruz said the legislation will likely have to be revised or a new bill authored.

“We had a meeting on May 22 here at the COG (Council of Government) with most of the elected officials. Judge Cortez was here. And, as you know, he’s part of the Prosperity Task Force. (We know) the outcry from the population is that we need more routes, we need more buses, more services.”

Currently, Cruz said, the LRGVDC, which runs Valley Metro, is restricted in securing more money for more routes.

“Pretty much 95 percent of our operations comes from funding from TxDOT or the Federal Transit Administration. And so, we’re restricted. We have set, dedicated routes that we cannot deviate from. Now, being a regional transit authority, we would be our own entity. We would still apply for grant funding, but the funding would be there for us to expand service, different routes and so forth.”

Cruz said he knows an RTA would have more money than what LRGVDC currently spends on Valley Metro because Corpus Christi and Laredo, both of which have much smaller populations than the Valley, have an RTA and they have much bigger budgets.

“We’re taking a page out of Corpus Christi’s playbook. They formed their RTA back in 1986. It took two terms to create the actual entity but from that point forward they’ve been able to expand it. And so, right now, their budget is anywhere between $60 to $70 million a year compared to our low $14 million for Valley Metro to provide services.”

Cruz said he and his team have visited Corpus Christi to see that city’s RTA in action.

“We actually went back in 2021/2022. We met with their director up there and they pretty much provided us with their playbook. Also, Laredo. They actually came to our meeting on May 22 and provided us with in-depth information on how they became a district and how they’re funded.”

Asked how much Laredo’s RTA has to spend on operations, Cruz said “Probably around $40 million or $50 million.” Cruz said if the Valley had set up an RTA back in the 1980s, when it was first mooted, its budget would likely be more than $100 million now.

“We’re (taking) a regional approach, not as an individual city or county or entity. And so, just imagine the funding stream that we would be able to gain if all the cities would contribute just a little bit to the service. We would be able to expand and enhance and contribute back to the individual communities.”

Asked if he is aware that the community groups that work in the Valley’s colonias have made public transportation their top legislative issue, with the aim of having bus routes in the largest colonias for the first time, Cruz answered affirmatively.

“Right now, the way it is, if a city wants a route, we would have to look at applying for the funding. And with funding, as you know, there’s always a match associated with it. And typically, it can range anywhere between 25 percent of the contribution to 50 percent. (With an RTA) instead of contributing 50 percent, what about half percent or one percent from all of us, all the entities? We would be able to create those routes (into the colonias).”

It was put to Cruz that all this sounds too good to be true. So why has it not happened before, he was asked.

Cruz responded: “Identifying the funding source. That’s the big, major, item that we need to identify. And again, this would be once we either modify the (Martinez) bill or create a different bill.”

Cruz said LRGVDC is now the fifth biggest COG in the state of Texas. The four that are larger (Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin) all have regional transit authorities, he pointed out.

Cruz said having mass transit would be a great boon for the economy.

“It’s been known and there’s studies that show this. Creating a regional transit authority, an economic boom follows. People have more mobility. It is easier for people to get to work, visit the doctor, go to school. It cuts down on congestion of the roadways. It cuts down on pollution. It is a win-win.

“But we know it is not going to happen overnight. How long did it take us to create the (RGV) Metropolitan Planning Organization? They were talking about that when I joined the COG back in 2002. When was that created? 2019. Seventeen years.

“We know this is a huge endeavor, setting up a regional transit authority. And it’s not going to happen overnight. But we’ve got to start talking about it? The sooner you start talking about it, the sooner it gets accomplished.”

Asked what the next steps are, Cruz said:

“We’re going to have more meetings. We actually created a committee. It’s called the Regional Mobility Advisory Committee, or R-MAC. They will be meeting periodically as we gather information to present to them. And so, once we identify the funding source, we would obviously meet with them and obviously contact our representatives to see who would be willing to author or co-author a revision to the bill or (create) a new one altogether.”

Editor’s Note: Here is a video interview with LRGVDC Executive Director Manuel ‘Manny’ Cruz about mass transit: