The tax issue is most interesting. The land has no value to the fee owner, because they derive no income from it, nor can they use it.

As for Hays CAD, there are issues with their record keeping, but …

There are economic forces at work, as well. Railroads move a lot of our consumer goods and commodities like coal which, for better or worse, we rely on for electricity. They have pull…no pun intended.

But to my earlier point, I’m not sure we in San Marcos have the game needed to face off with the railroad industry. Perhaps the city can call on Pike Powers, its new biz dev consultant, for a little guidance on this. He strikes me as someone who might know how to win over railroads, or at least he’d know someone who would.

Why does San Marcos still have train tracks criss-crossing neighborhoods and streets everywhere and stopping traffic so often?

Why does the City not tell Union-Pacific to build trestles or bridges or re-route their trains well outside of the city limits? Why could we not then transform the vacant tracks into hike and bike trails? The horn ban is merely a palliative;what is needed is for Union-Pacific to build briudges or trestles or re-route their tracks well outside of city limits.

Why does Union-Pacific or ANY corporation make demands or “require” anything from the City of San Marcos? When ANY corporation makes a demand on the City of San Maros, why doesn’t the City of San Marcos learn from Nancy Reagan: “Just Say NO”.

I find that I hardly notice them anymore, but I know at least two potential relocation candidates who opted against San Marcos because of the train noise. Having loud train horns blaring all day and all night makes everyone, no matter their address, feel as if they live on Railroad Street. And trust me, the vast majority of potential homebuyers isn’t interested in living on Railroad Street.

If San Marcos is ever to become the town most people want, then we need to attract career-level jobs. And part of that is making this town attractive to people who will buy homes and then live in them – not just to landlords and property managers. Silencing those train horns is an obvious and very do-able step along that path. It should have happened years ago.

And for the record, I agree train horns have a romantic sound….from about 15 miles away. I look forward to hearing them before they enter town and after they leave it.

http://www.house.gov/transportation/rail/07-21-05/pickett.pdf Head of railroad signal union to congress
…The only modification required is the installation of two additionalgate mechanisms and a timing device that would allow vehicles to exit the crossing before lowering the gates across the traffic exit lanes….

http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&rgn=div5&view=text&node=23:1.0.1.7.27&idno=23#23:1.0.1.7.27.2.1.6
(3) The State and FHWA shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to inspect materials recovered by the railroad prior to disposal by sale or scrap. This requirement will be satisfied by the railroad giving written notice, or oral notice with prompt written confirmation, to the State of the time and place where the materials will be available for inspection. The giving of notice is the responsibility of the railroad, and it may be held accountable for full value of materials disposed of without notice.