Chron.com reports that METRO is unveiling a Park and Pillage, er, Ride, in Pasadena on Monday:
The city of Pasadena does not contribute sales tax revenue to Metro, so Harris County is using federal transportation funds to pay for the service, with Pasadena chipping in $39,000. Total annual cost is $212,800. Metro has a similar contract to provide bus service to and around Baytown, which is also not a Metro member.
Residents of far North Harris County, on the other hand, do contribute sales tax revenue to METRO and have nothing to show for it, which is by design. Remember when the Chron’s Rad Sallee confirmed that METRO was punishing those who voted against wasteful, inefficient light rail?
So again we see that Harris County suburbs are taxed but not serviced, while Baytown and Pasadena are serviced but not taxed.
Something’s wrong with this picture, but there’s an easy solution: METRO should release the outer ‘burbs from the taxing agreement, since it admits it has no interest in providing service for those areas, and that money should go to Harris County for road maintenance.
MORE: On METRO’s Sit and Spin blog, Frank “Procurement Disaster” Wilson adds:
“It’s important to remember that the people who ride transit also pay for it – not just with fares, but with tax dollars.”
Not exactly.
