The Collin County Observer™

Michael Morris has a reputation of being both a wheeler dealer and the ultimate highway Tzar for North Central Texas. While he is widely respected for his knowledge of how to structure and broker complex highway funding deals, he is royally screwing Collin County out of the money it was promised from the SH 121 CDA.

I hope the Commissioners put a lot of pressure on NCTCOG to rein in Morris's and the RTC's excesses and to return Collin County's just share of the SH121 toll revenue. We were promised a prime steak - we got tripe soup.

Bill

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Leaders come to defense of DFW transportation chief
By GORDON DICKSON
Fort Worth Star-Telegram staff writer
Friday, May. 09, 2008

We like Michael. That's the message from dozens of Metroplex leaders who made it clear this week that they're happy with the work of Michael Morris, transportation director for the North Central Texas Council of Governments.

The message is a response to rumors that a few Collin County officials are quietly lobbying to have Morris fired. Although the Collin County officials haven't spoken against him publicly, the scuttlebutt is that they're unhappy with recent negotiations over two toll projects under construction: Texas 121 north of Grapevine and Texas 161 in Grand Prairie.

Morris negotiated both deals. He is credited -- or blamed -- with forcing the Plano-based North Texas Tollway Authority to pay top dollar for the projects. The authority agreed to pay $3.2 billion for Texas 121 and is studying whether to pay $548 million for Texas 161. Only a small fraction of that windfall will go to Collin County. The rest will pay for roads across the region.

Morris' supporters say they acted quickly to nip the clandestine anti-Morris campaign in the bud. Three agencies -- the Regional Transportation Council, Tarrant Regional Transportation Coalition and Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition -- passed resolutions expressing confidence in him.

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