The Chronicle has coverage today of a city council meeting regarding the controversial SafeClear towing program.

According to the story the current city price tag is an estimated $680,000, much higher than the $300,000 per year originally predicted. Of even more interest is the estimated cost for the program in the 2006 fiscal year:

Next year’s estimated $3 million cost will be funded mostly with the roughly $900,000 that tow truck operators pay the city for exclusive rights to assist motorists on designated freeway segments and a $1.5 million contribution from the Metropolitan Transit Authority, Lewis said. That leaves a net cost to the city of about $600,000 in the next fiscal year.

This expense forecast means that your tax dollars, via the city and Metro, will be funding the SafeClear program in the 2006 fiscal year to the tune of $2.1 million.

What benefit are we getting from this expenditure? The Mayor and the Texas Transportation Institute cite a nearly ten percent reduction in freeway accidents due to SafeClear, but these claims seem rather dubious. A press conference on accident reductions earlier this year was less than convincing.

The program will also be subject to a partial audit by city controller Annise Parker, which may shed some light on the true state of SafeClear’s finances.

In the meantime, some council members are concerned:

But Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, whose questions prompted the controller’s audit, said the program had "blossomed" into something more costly than she previously envisioned.

I’m shocked, shocked to find out that a government program has ended up costing more than originally predicted!