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McKinney Officials Reject Traffic Accident Fee
Posted on Feb 10, 2011
Facing a tight budget and with a recommendation from the city’s police chief, the McKinney City Council will soon vote on a proposal to charge nonresident, at-fault drivers for car accidents that require a response from McKinney emergency resources. However, Dallas News interviews with the six council members has found that the bill won’t likely pass.
So-called “crash fees” have become popular in a number of cities in Texas and across the country; in fact, Dallas instated crash fees in 2008 and collected $1.1 million in revenue just last year from collecting money from those involved in vehicle accidents. At the same time, one in five states have passed legislation to stop cities from charging accident victims for needing the help of police officers or fire departments after a wreck.
In McKinney, officials believe that they can make about $40,000 a year by asking those who cause crashes to pay for the resources they use. Accidents that do not involve serious injury would cost drivers just over $100, while accidents that involved injury would cost the at-fault driver just over $200. In Dallas, officials charge accident victims between $400 to $2,000, depending on the circumstances of the crash.
Some believe that the new law would hurt business as those from other cities begin to skirt McKinney. Others say that the crash tax would simply be too unpopular a move for a relatively small amount of revenue. Many of the city council members say that they have had a negative reaction both from McKinney residents and non-residents who work in the city or commute through the city.
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