§ 28-7. Toll or tariff rate design and methodology for international bridges of the city.

(a)

The city shall have and enforce at all times a toll system that is fair and equitable for all users of the bridges, and the city's related transportation infrastructure, which tolls and charges shall take into account the following factors:

(1)

The number of axles and tires (direct wear and damage, as reflected in road construction and repair costs and trends);

(2)

The weight of vehicles (direct wear and damage, as reflected in road construction and repair costs and trends);

(3)

The commercial value of the crossing (relative value of transactions);

(4)

Other street impact based on load and torque dynamics of particular types of vehicles (wear dynamics);

(5)

Utilization of the streets and public ways for parking and loading (utilization, impairment costs or value);

(6)

The costs of indirect services and public expenditures necessitated by the traffic stream, including special signing, law enforcement, fire and Haz-mat capability, legal and administrative costs (support costs);

(7)

Route dynamics, including the number of trips, loaded or empty, for particular types of traffic or vehicles (wear and tear, cost/benefit);

(8)

An analysis of the comparative tariff and other imposed costs of crossing, one (1) way and both ways, in the city and at other locations (transactional cost and parity);

(9)

The evaluation of the direct, indirect, and social costs of increases in the transportation system in the community over time (recency and rate);

(10)

The capacity and size of vehicles (space utilization and available crossing capacity).

(b)

City staff, in conjunction with the transportation and traffic safety advisory committee, will annually review the tariff structure for bridge tolls and present a written report to the city council as part of the city's budget process. Notice of the background studies shall be given by publication in the city's official publication. Any person may provide input or information for the rate study. All comments or complaints forwarded to the city manager or the mayor, and designated for inclusion in the rate study, shall be filed and considered in conjunction with the annual rate review. Notice of the city council meeting where toll changes or considerations are to be taken up shall be posted under the Texas Open Meetings Act and interested members of the public shall be permitted to address the council on those matters, in accordance with generally applicable procedures.

(c)

The city's rate schedule shall only be changed after full study and public comment on the above factors, by the city staff and the transportation and traffic safety advisory committee. The city staff shall assign a value and weight to each of the factors, and shall make a recommendation, based upon a formula that incorporates those factors in order to equitably distribute system costs.

(d)

Future rate changes shall not be made without a study proposing a rate structure and design that is based upon these established criteria (or such other criteria that the city may adopt by amended ordinance, based upon competent professional analysis of legitimate rate factors), after a full public hearing. The purpose for all categories shall be equitable apportionment of the charges that must be imposed overall for bridge and municipal operations that are related to transportation demands on the system. The city council may identify any necessary changes in the methodology or factoring involved, and direct that modifications be made accordingly.

(e)

An additional position is hereby created on the transportation and traffic safety advisory committee, increasing the membership to ten (10) persons. The tenth representative and an alternate shall be subject to selection by the AsociaciÓn de Transportistas. Written notice of such designation shall be given to the mayor, who shall appoint such representative to the transportation and traffic safety advisory committee. The primary representative will have one (1) vote on the transportation and traffic safety advisory committee; the alternate representative will be an advisory seat on the transportation and traffic safety advisory committee but will not have a vote. The mayor shall appoint the representative and alternate to the transportation and traffic safety advisory committee pursuant to the redefining language of the enabling ordinance, to allow the representative and alternate to take their seats on the transportation and traffic safety advisory committee by September 30, 1996. Any actions taken prior to the adoption of this article to create and fill those positions are hereby ratified.

(Ord. No. 96-180, §§ 1—5, 10-21-96)