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Follow TURFSo, first, the county wouldn't bring this to San Antonio voters to decide, because they knew they'd lose the vote as they did in 2000. So then they snagged ATD sales tax money that's supposed to fund roads to put in an unpopular downtown streetcar to benefit a handful of developers. When it became clear they'd be sued for using ATD money for streetcars, the same thing as light rail, which they promised voters ATD money wouldn't fund, now they're switching the pots of money to avoid a lawsuit, but still trampling on taxpayers by bypassing voters and ramming it down people's throats.
It's clear this plan was hatched in a backroom with a handful of powerful officials, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, Transportation Commission Chairman Ted Houghton, TxDOT Executive Director Phil Wilson, and Via Bard CHairman Henry Munoz. The MPO Board was completely left in the dark as were the taxpayers -- no pubic notice or hearing or opportunity for debate. Just the usual railroad job...
Money swap could pave a new route to local streetcar system
By Viana Davila
November 8, 2012
Express News
Local transportation officials might have found a way to avoid a legal battle over the hotly debated use of transportation sales tax revenue to build VIA Metropolitan Transit's downtown streetcar system.
And the help could come from the unlikeliest of places — the state highway department.
In a funding swap, $92 million in state money previously set aside to add nontoll lanes on U.S. 281 and Loop 1604 would replace local money reserved for the streetcar project.
In turn, the local money assigned to streetcars would go to adding the nontoll lanes.