Kendall County Commissioners Court gave unanimous approval Sept. 23 to exploring the logistics of constructing a weigh station along Interstate 10, a measure which proponents believe would help preserve roads, combat drug trade and human trafficking, and produce additional revenue for the county.
“I am asking the court to make a declaration as to whether you are interested or not,” said Kendall County Sheriff Al Auxier. He explained that such a declaration would enable his office and other stakeholders, such as the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), to collaborate on researching the costs and logistics of building a weigh station.
The court’s vote did not commit any funds, but simply expressed its interest in learning more.
DPS Capt. Steve McQuagge told the court the primary concern is ensuring public safety and security.
“Weight and heat can result in tire issues,” McQuagge said. Weigh stations provide the opportunity to conduct “30point inspections” of vehicles and to check the driver as well, he said. Overweight vehicles also cause damage to county roads, he added.
Auxier said weigh stations can help to deter and discourage criminal activity. McQuagge concurred, saying truckers have told him that their peers recognize that at weigh stations quite often have DPS officers working at them and that they are qualified investigators. This, both men said, could cause traffickers and criminals to think twice.
McQuagge noted that there is no permanent scale facility between San Antonio and El Paso.
Auxier told the court that Kendall County “is a choke point.” Truck drivers could bypass a station, or stations, located further west on I-10. This would be far more difficult in Kendall County.
Inspections are currently done at random points along I-10 west of Kendall County but there are no permanent, official locations. “The longer we wait, the more logistical issues there will be,” Auxier said.
Andres Gonzalez, TxDOT area engineer based out of Kerrville, said his agency would commit to assisting with design and overseeing construction of a station and to coordinating with the Federal Highway Administration.
The county would need to fund the project and provide the location, he added.
Auxier told Precinct 2 Commissioner Andra Wisian he had no idea yet of the cost of constructing such a facility.
Precinct 4 Commissioner Chad Carpenter said the issue had come up as far back as seven years ago, but the impetus to pursue the matter did not exist.
County Judge Shane Stolarczyk voiced his approval and asked about staffing.
“Does your presence here (McQuagge) indicate DPS officers would man it, or is that a decision that needs to be made at a higher level?”
McQuagge said that such a decision would come from a higher level of authority at the DPS.
Stolarczyk asked where funds go when fines occur. McQuagge said most fine proceeds generally stay local except in cases where vehicles are extremely overweight, in which case some proceeds would likely be redirected toward federal authorities since I-10 falls under the FHA’s purview.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Richard Chapman noted that a friend who works in a nearby county which has a weigh station and whom he considers a reliable source said fine revenues from a weigh station would average around $50,000 per month.
He said he would like to learn from other counties that have weigh stations how much they had invested in the construction of those facilities to determine if that rate of return would justify the initial investment.
TxDOT deputy engineer Clayton Ripps affirmed to the court that the county would need to identify locations. Issues with right of way would be among the logistical hurdles to overcome, though the county, he noted, does own property along I-10.
Both Gonzalez and Ripps said that converting existing rest stops was out of the question.
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