County Moves Forward with TRZ

TYLER — The Smith County Commissioners Court is moving forward with creation of a Transportation Reinvestment Zone along the present and future Toll 49. Commissioners recently passed a resolution which creates/sets the boundaries of the TRZ, according to information from the county. The motion did not include setting the amount of funds that will be dedicated from the zone or how they will be designated. Officials say that vote will be at a later date. The Court may choose to dedicate any amount (zero to 100 percent) to the Loop 49 project or to county roads. The project would capture a percentage of future property taxes along the corridor for whatever construction is eventually done.

The project has seen its share of controversy, and the recent Commissioners Court vote was not unanimous. Commissioners Jeff Warr, JoAnn Hampton, and Cary Nix voted in favor, but Commissioner Terry Phillips voted against the plan. County Judge Joel Baker was absent. Among other things, opponents voiced concerns last year that the TRZ would drain �local property taxes away from local needs.� At the end of 2013, at Baker’s request, the Commissioners Court essentially tabled the TRZ proposal, pending further review by the court. A county spokesperson said at the time that the judge and commissioners wanted to give themselves time to further study and review the proposal.