Neatly printed signs reading "Don't Kill Texas Businesses With Traffic Congestion" and "Support Local Control" met with hand-drawn signs reading "Texas Not Taxes" and "No Diversions!" at a press conference and rally at the South Steps of the Texas Capitol Friday afternoon.

Legislators in favor of the Local Option Transportation Plan -- an effort to give local entities the power to raise the motor fuels tax and assorted fees via an election -- joined with representatives from major Texas cities for a press conference hosted by supporters, flanked by protestors.

Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitely joined with several legislators including Sens. John Carona, Kip Averitt, Eliott Shapleigh, Royce West and Rep. Vicki Truitt in calling for provisions of the Local Option Transportation Plan to be preserved in the TxDOT Sunset Bill (HB 300).

At the time of writing, HB 300 is in conference committee. The Senate version included the text of SB 855 (Carona's Local Option Plan bill), while the House version has no such provision.

Carona said he expected the Local Options Plan would meet opposition, but that it's "the least painful option."

"This bill is transparent. This bill offers the least painful options that we can to do accomplish the one thing absolutely necessary across this state if we're to have an economic future, and if we're to have clean air -- and that's to build out our mobility system," Carona said.

"I was an opponent to this particular bill from the very outset," West said. "And the reason was because I wasn't certain that what was being proposed, number one, was in the best interests of the region, and, number two, was in fact something that the constituents, at least of the 23rd Senatorial District, wanted to do. So what I did was I did my homework ... And realistically, Dallas County wants this bill."

A charter bus brought in several of the North Texas ralliers.

North Texas dignitaries included Jim Oberwetter of the Dalas Chamber of Commerce and Bill Thornton of the Fort Worth Chamber. Another speaker was Craig Douglas of the Real Estate Council in Austin. At various points in the rally, protestors shouted that the Local Option Plan represented a certain tax hike in urban areas, as well as dangerous precedent. Some used explitives to get their point across.

Several conservative groups issued e-mail alerts for protesters to arrive -- who made up for about 2/3 of the audience, and were concerned the plan was tantamount to a tax increase.

Josh Perry, a University of Texas government studies major, dressed up in a gasoline pump costume he purchased from California, festooned with a button that read "Don't Tax Me."

"It's unfortunate that so many people came out to support new taxes in the state of Texas, but we're going to fight it as hard as we can," he said.

Tina Benkiser, chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, joined in the protest.

"The TxDOT Sunset bill needs to be about reforming TxDOT, not about a tax increase," Benkiser said.

"This is a real opportunity for Republicans to stand up and differentiate themselves from Democrats who do nothing but put us into debt to countries like China and Middle Eastern countries."

While Benkiser suggested the Local Option Plan is not a Republican answer to funding transportation projects, Truitt hailed giving local communities power as a conservative solution.

"Since when did conservatives not believe in the judgment of the people?" Truitt said. "... Rhetoric does not solve problems. And we're asking that metropolitan areas that have problems with exponential growth be able to solve it for themselves."

"This is no different than allowing a school district to call a bond election to build a school," she continued.

Justin Keener, vice president of policy and communications with the Texas Public Policy Foundation, said in a written statement that local communities would likely not resist the temptation to put a greater burden on taxpayers.

“In these tough economic times, local governments need to prioritize their spending the same way that Texas families and businesses are.  This is not the time – and House Bill 300 is not the way – to create an even greater tax burden on Texas motorists, especially when the current state budget continues to divert well over $1 billion of our gas taxes to non-transportation purposes,” Keener said.
 
Douglas said in a press release while business groups have historically been loathe to support raising taxes, traffic congestion in Central Texas threatens to choke off economic development. 

"There is widespread misunderstanding about local option funding," he said. "This legislation will not allow counties to raise gas tax by 125 percent, in fact , a total of a 10-cent increase is the maximum fuel tax hike allowable in this law. If county officials feel the voters would approve a lower fee, they may put a 5-cent option on the ballot. Funds are also specifically prohibited from being used for toll projects or for lobbying."