Craddick, Dewhurst Say Funding Should Be There For Texas State Railroad
By Vince Leibowitz on Nov 27, 2006 in Texas Legislature, Texas Public Policy & Taxation ![[Post to Twitter]](/wp-content/plugins/tweet-this/icons/tt-twitter.png){kind=icon}
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Following yesterday’s Dallas Morning News article concerning the likely closing of the Texas State Railroad, Lt. Governor David Dewhurst and House Speaker Tom Craddick (R-Midland) have informed the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department via letter that the pair “believe there to be sufficient appropriations within the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department budget to fund the Texas State Railroad through August 31, 2007.”
This is interesting because the letter is written to make it appear as though TP&WD doesn’t know their own appropriations (or has overspent its appropriations). The letter tells the Department that they are already the beneficiary of over $18 million in additional revenue that could be used to run the park:
As you are aware, appropriations to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department included a contingent revenue rider, Rider 27. This rider states that the agency is appropriated additional funds in excess of the Comptroller’s Biennial Revenue Estimate for each year of the 2006-2007 biennium from the General Revenue-Dedicated State Parks Account No. 64 and the Game Fish and Water Safety Accounty No. 9. It is our understanding that this contingent revenue rider resulted in additional revenues totaling $18,148,706 in fiscal year 2006 and that similar amounts can be expected in fiscal year 2007. A portion of this additional revenue could be used to fund the Texas State Railroad through the end of the 2007 fiscal Year.
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If that surplus is as “Friggin’ Big” as Governor MoFo thought, then there should be no problem.
Nevertheless, if anybody was planning on riding the Texas State Railroad you better get on up there before the end of the year.