A third of Bexar County cannot afford basic necessities…so how can they afford tolls?

It’s so basic…Bexar County can’t afford tolls. For all those who can afford them that may be business-owners, your employees can’t afford tolls even if you can. Having to pay a toll to go to work is like taking a pay cut. An employee may decide it’s not worth it to work in a tolled corridor and work where there aren’t tolls. Same is true of customers. Think about it…

A third of S.A. families don’t make enough to meet basic needs, report finds
By Aissatou Sidime
Express-News Business Writer
08/30/2007
A decent life is out of reach for many folks in San Antonio, according to a report released today.

A two-parent, two-child family in the San Antonio area needs at least $40,826 a year to afford housing, food, child care, health care, transportation, and other basic needs without relying on government assistance, according to the report by the Center for Public Policy Priorities.

And that’s if an employer pays 100 percent of health insurance premiums for employees and 50 percent for dependents.

About one-third of families don’t meet that goal.

San Antonio is the fifth most expensive metro area in Texas. The Fort Worth-Arlington area is the most expensive, with families needing $45,770 a year. The Brownsville-Harlingen area is the least expensive at $29,982 a year.