The Sunset Advisory Commission has announced that on December 16, there will be a Commission Decision on TxDOT. The Commission will be meeting in the House Appropriations Committee Room, Room E1.030, Capitol Extension. See the agenda at
http://www.sunset.state.tx.us/81streports/agendas/dec_15.pdf.
The Commission notes:
Internet Access to Meeting. The meeting is broadcast live on the Internet at www.house.state.tx.us/media/welcome.php.
Current status of the proceedings will be posted on the home page at www.sunset.state.tx.us.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
CAMPO makes bad decision to toll 290 East
Last night, in spite of many public comments against it and without allowing representatives of several groups to speak, the CAMPO board voted to toll 290 East, backing it up with tolls from 183 A since revenue projections on 290 East fall short of what is needed to get 290 East financing. Here is the link to Ben Wear’s article in the Statesman.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/12/02/1202campo.html
Excerpts from Ben Wear [boldface added]:
“The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization board voted 15-3 to create a tollway system made up of the existing, and profitable, 183-A toll road in Cedar Park and U.S. 290 East, which based on projections will not have sufficient revenue to persuade investors to lend more than a half billion dollars to build it.
“Some CAMPO members objected to the financial partnership Monday, saying it violates the intent of policies adopted in October 2007, when the board approved the U.S. 290 East project and four other potential toll roads. At that time, the board agreed that excess toll revenue from the five roads would be spent first in the general area of each road rather than being used for improvements far afield.
“The authority says that preliminary traffic and revenue studies [which were withheld from the public] show that U.S. 290 East will be able to meet its debt payments and operating costs without any transfer of money from 183-A.
“Voting against the plan were Travis County Commissioner Sarah Eckhardt, Sunset Valley Mayor Jeff Mills and state Rep. Eddie Rodriguez.”
This article does not discuss several points that citizens have pointed out: tolls increased and free lanes decreased since information was presented to the public, studies withheld from the public, extra hardship on lower income commuters coming to Austin from the Manor area, increasingly risky financial environment, and more.
Some of these problems have already been presented to the Federal Highway Administration. There may be other avenues to continue fighting tolling 290 East. However, right now, the CAMPO board has made a bad decision for commuters from eastern Travis and Williamson counties and a bad financing decision for decades to come. The CAMPO board has decided to support those who have interests in sprawl along 290 East and to try to build up SH 130 toll traffic, which is behind projections.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/12/02/1202campo.html
Excerpts from Ben Wear [boldface added]:
“The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization board voted 15-3 to create a tollway system made up of the existing, and profitable, 183-A toll road in Cedar Park and U.S. 290 East, which based on projections will not have sufficient revenue to persuade investors to lend more than a half billion dollars to build it.
“Some CAMPO members objected to the financial partnership Monday, saying it violates the intent of policies adopted in October 2007, when the board approved the U.S. 290 East project and four other potential toll roads. At that time, the board agreed that excess toll revenue from the five roads would be spent first in the general area of each road rather than being used for improvements far afield.
“The authority says that preliminary traffic and revenue studies [which were withheld from the public] show that U.S. 290 East will be able to meet its debt payments and operating costs without any transfer of money from 183-A.
“Voting against the plan were Travis County Commissioner Sarah Eckhardt, Sunset Valley Mayor Jeff Mills and state Rep. Eddie Rodriguez.”
This article does not discuss several points that citizens have pointed out: tolls increased and free lanes decreased since information was presented to the public, studies withheld from the public, extra hardship on lower income commuters coming to Austin from the Manor area, increasingly risky financial environment, and more.
Some of these problems have already been presented to the Federal Highway Administration. There may be other avenues to continue fighting tolling 290 East. However, right now, the CAMPO board has made a bad decision for commuters from eastern Travis and Williamson counties and a bad financing decision for decades to come. The CAMPO board has decided to support those who have interests in sprawl along 290 East and to try to build up SH 130 toll traffic, which is behind projections.
Monday, December 1, 2008
"Glitch" in CAMPO 290 E plan--design and tolls have changed
Round-up of interesting info about tonight's possible CAMPO vote to toll 290 East and tie the financing into a system with 183 A. This is from Mary Anderson, director of Texans Against Tolls. Mary has been working nonstop for the last few days to inform people about this improper vote and to get people to turn out for this meeting.
Urgent! CAMPO Board Meeting!
Mon, Dec. 1st, 2008, 6:00 pm
This may be one of our LAST changes to defeat the TOLL Roads! We have just discovered a "glitch" that may hold up the CAMPO Vote on Monday, if enough of you can show up to Tell the Board--- NO!
Where: Joe C. Thompson Center , University of Texas Campus,
SW Corner of Dean Keeton (26th Street) and Red River Streets, Austin
Ask the CAMPO Board to vote NO to approving the financial plan. The "glitch" is that the Plan has now changed in both road design (2 lanes instead of 3) and higher toll charges, thus requiring more public hearings and meetings before the Board can even legally vote to allow tolls on Hwy. 290 East
& mail them at: campo@campotexas.org
Say NO! - to false Market Valuation for Hwy 290 East; Say NO! - to using Hwy 183A as collateral for 290E, and Say NO! to tolls on Hwy. 290 East!
It's very important that you show up at the Dec.1st, Monday, CAMPO meeting to tell the CAMPO Board to vote NO on approving that Toll road 183A and having its Toll income be used as leverage and collateral for building the toll road on 290E. This is the only way they can do it, because the "market valuation for 290E came in as negative," in other words, it's in the RED, so currently there is nothing to back up the bonds that JPMorgan-Chase & CTRMA want to sell without getting approval from CAMPO Board to either falsely re-evaluate Hwy 290E, or to use as collateral the tolls from Hwy 183A.
Urgent! CAMPO Board Meeting!
Mon, Dec. 1st, 2008, 6:00 pm
This may be one of our LAST changes to defeat the TOLL Roads! We have just discovered a "glitch" that may hold up the CAMPO Vote on Monday, if enough of you can show up to Tell the Board--- NO!
Where: Joe C. Thompson Center , University of Texas Campus,
SW Corner of Dean Keeton (26th Street) and Red River Streets, Austin
Ask the CAMPO Board to vote NO to approving the financial plan. The "glitch" is that the Plan has now changed in both road design (2 lanes instead of 3) and higher toll charges, thus requiring more public hearings and meetings before the Board can even legally vote to allow tolls on Hwy. 290 East
& mail them at: campo@campotexas.org
Say NO! - to false Market Valuation for Hwy 290 East; Say NO! - to using Hwy 183A as collateral for 290E, and Say NO! to tolls on Hwy. 290 East!
It's very important that you show up at the Dec.1st, Monday, CAMPO meeting to tell the CAMPO Board to vote NO on approving that Toll road 183A and having its Toll income be used as leverage and collateral for building the toll road on 290E. This is the only way they can do it, because the "market valuation for 290E came in as negative," in other words, it's in the RED, so currently there is nothing to back up the bonds that JPMorgan-Chase & CTRMA want to sell without getting approval from CAMPO Board to either falsely re-evaluate Hwy 290E, or to use as collateral the tolls from Hwy 183A.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Join SOS letter to CAMPO against 290 E tolling
Mary Anderson, director of Texans Against Tolls, has sent around a letter from the Save Our Springs Alliance to CAMPO against their plan to toll 290 East. The CAMPO board will meet on Monday, December 1, at 6 p.m., in the Joe C. Thompson Center, University of Texas Campus, Dean Keeton (26th Street) and Red River Streets, Austin.
The CAMPO board may decide to change 290 East to a toll road even though there are many reasons NOT to toll 290 East. Since the plan was presented to the public, the plan has changed, with higher tolls and fewer free lanes on the frontage roads. Given these changes, CAMPO should hold more public meetings to present the changes and to allow more public comment.
The Save Our Springs Alliance is asking for others to sign their letter and send it in to CAMPO. The letter makes many good points against tolling 290 East; you can use it as is, or make changes as you wish. Send your comments to CAMPO before the Monday meeting. Then attend the meeting to show opposition to 290 East tolling.
campo@campotexas.org
Here is the letter:
Open Letter to CAMPO on 290 East and Toll System Financing
December 1, 2008
Dear Senator Watson and CAMPO Board Members:
We urge you to reject the CTRMA’s 290 East financial proposal and send a message to your partners that toll system financing, or “cross-collateralization,” is not the way forward for this region.
In our view, a debt-financed toll system is an unsustainable and inequitable approach to transportation that will gravely damage our communities and environment. Approving the proposal reverses safeguards for financial transparency and accountability that CAMPO unanimously adopted only a year ago.
As a matter of timing, we believe it is wrong to schedule deliberation and action on this major debt commitment when the CAMPO board still has pro-toll "lame duck" members like Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty and State Representative Mike Krusee. Both of these officeholders are leaving office, in substantial part, because voters opposed their support for toll roads.
In addition, making this decision in a CAMPO meeting immediately on the heels of the Thanksgiving holiday minimizes public oversight and participation. We request that you defer all action on this item until after new members are seated and adequate notice and information has been provided to the public. New CAMPO members with fresh perspectives on the region’s transportation issues should be given a chance to examine and weigh in on this radical CTRMA proposal.
The proposed cross-collateralization scheme currently on the table would tie 290East and 183A together. However, CTRMA and JPMorgan have made it clear they want to tie all of the Phase II toll roads together in one web of cross-collateralization. This is precisely the kind of "risk sharing" that has produced the current global financial crisis—the idea that bad bets get better when you make more of them and use them to "guarantee" each other against failure.
The 290 East project, standing alone, is not financially viable. It is not magically transformed into a financially responsible investment by bundling it with 183A. Passing this proposal now would be reckless. CTRMA and JP Morgan so far have failed to share essential information with the public and with CAMPO members. Basic traffic and revenue information for 290 East has not been released. The public has a right to know such details before any further actions are taken.
The proposed 290 East toll project is also unfair—disproportionately harming the health and living standards for low-income and minority populations along its path and imposing tolls on commuters living outside CAMPO boundaries. The 290 East Tollway would bring more pollution into our communities, only benefit those who pay tolls, and perpetuate sprawl.
Change in Washington DC should translate into change in Austin. President-elect Obama has called for a real commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Phase II toll road system, including 290East, is in direct conflict with a sustainable, climate-friendly transportation system. With the change in national administration, more federal financial resources may become available for infrastructure, without the need for expensive and uncertain toll debt schemes.
Transportation spending priorities may change too, away from sprawl inducing roadways. President-elect Obama has called for investing in repair of existing roads and bridges. The Phase II toll system should be put on hold until we figure out how to fix and maintain what we have.
Any debt financing should be used sparingly—reserved only for projects that reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and promote equity and sustainability. If we are going to call on our children to pay for our decisions today, then those payments should be for a safer, more sustainable future, rather than for projects that depend on repeating and expanding the mistakes of the past.
In conclusion, we respectfully request that CAMPO reject the CTRMA’s proposal and follow its own financial accountability safeguards that were approved unanimously less than a year ago. At the very least, CAMPO should delay voting on this ill-timed and uninformed proposal until new members are seated and essential information is released.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Undersigned
The CAMPO board may decide to change 290 East to a toll road even though there are many reasons NOT to toll 290 East. Since the plan was presented to the public, the plan has changed, with higher tolls and fewer free lanes on the frontage roads. Given these changes, CAMPO should hold more public meetings to present the changes and to allow more public comment.
The Save Our Springs Alliance is asking for others to sign their letter and send it in to CAMPO. The letter makes many good points against tolling 290 East; you can use it as is, or make changes as you wish. Send your comments to CAMPO before the Monday meeting. Then attend the meeting to show opposition to 290 East tolling.
campo@campotexas.org
Here is the letter:
Open Letter to CAMPO on 290 East and Toll System Financing
December 1, 2008
Dear Senator Watson and CAMPO Board Members:
We urge you to reject the CTRMA’s 290 East financial proposal and send a message to your partners that toll system financing, or “cross-collateralization,” is not the way forward for this region.
In our view, a debt-financed toll system is an unsustainable and inequitable approach to transportation that will gravely damage our communities and environment. Approving the proposal reverses safeguards for financial transparency and accountability that CAMPO unanimously adopted only a year ago.
As a matter of timing, we believe it is wrong to schedule deliberation and action on this major debt commitment when the CAMPO board still has pro-toll "lame duck" members like Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty and State Representative Mike Krusee. Both of these officeholders are leaving office, in substantial part, because voters opposed their support for toll roads.
In addition, making this decision in a CAMPO meeting immediately on the heels of the Thanksgiving holiday minimizes public oversight and participation. We request that you defer all action on this item until after new members are seated and adequate notice and information has been provided to the public. New CAMPO members with fresh perspectives on the region’s transportation issues should be given a chance to examine and weigh in on this radical CTRMA proposal.
The proposed cross-collateralization scheme currently on the table would tie 290East and 183A together. However, CTRMA and JPMorgan have made it clear they want to tie all of the Phase II toll roads together in one web of cross-collateralization. This is precisely the kind of "risk sharing" that has produced the current global financial crisis—the idea that bad bets get better when you make more of them and use them to "guarantee" each other against failure.
The 290 East project, standing alone, is not financially viable. It is not magically transformed into a financially responsible investment by bundling it with 183A. Passing this proposal now would be reckless. CTRMA and JP Morgan so far have failed to share essential information with the public and with CAMPO members. Basic traffic and revenue information for 290 East has not been released. The public has a right to know such details before any further actions are taken.
The proposed 290 East toll project is also unfair—disproportionately harming the health and living standards for low-income and minority populations along its path and imposing tolls on commuters living outside CAMPO boundaries. The 290 East Tollway would bring more pollution into our communities, only benefit those who pay tolls, and perpetuate sprawl.
Change in Washington DC should translate into change in Austin. President-elect Obama has called for a real commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Phase II toll road system, including 290East, is in direct conflict with a sustainable, climate-friendly transportation system. With the change in national administration, more federal financial resources may become available for infrastructure, without the need for expensive and uncertain toll debt schemes.
Transportation spending priorities may change too, away from sprawl inducing roadways. President-elect Obama has called for investing in repair of existing roads and bridges. The Phase II toll system should be put on hold until we figure out how to fix and maintain what we have.
Any debt financing should be used sparingly—reserved only for projects that reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and promote equity and sustainability. If we are going to call on our children to pay for our decisions today, then those payments should be for a safer, more sustainable future, rather than for projects that depend on repeating and expanding the mistakes of the past.
In conclusion, we respectfully request that CAMPO reject the CTRMA’s proposal and follow its own financial accountability safeguards that were approved unanimously less than a year ago. At the very least, CAMPO should delay voting on this ill-timed and uninformed proposal until new members are seated and essential information is released.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Undersigned
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Ralph and Marcia Snyder receive award
For posts about Sal Costello and David Stall, see previous two posts.Left to right: Fred Grant, President, Stewards of the Range
Marcia Snyder
Ralph Snyder
Ralph and Marcia Snyder, of Holland, Texas, have been fighting against the Corridor ever since it was authorized in 2003. In 2007, they were instrumental in forming the Eastern Central Texas Sub-Regional Planning Commission (ECTSRPC), the first of the 391 commissions that are forming state-wide to protect their areas against the Corridor. They recently received the “Spirit of Liberty” award at the annual convention of Stewards of the Range and the American Land Foundation held in Austin. This award is given to individuals who work tirelessly to protect private property and their local communities from government intrusion.
Mae Smith, mayor of Holland and president of the ECTSRPC said of the Snyders, “Without their knowledge and dedication to our community, we would never have known what to do or how to fight the Texas Department of Transportation’s plans to destroy our community.”
The ECTSRPC has forced TxDOT to coordinate their plans with the commission during several meetings. The commission also has met with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
The Stewards of the Range and the American Land Foundation are property rights organizations leading the fight against the Corridor.
Thanks to David and Linda Stall
David Stall, co-founder of Corridor Watch along with wife Linda, has had a long career as a city administrator, as well as dedicating so much time to fighting the Corridor. Unfortunately, during this run-up to the 2009 legislative session when the Stalls would usually be extremely busy planning strategy and contacting legislators, David’s time is totally taken up with helping his city of Shoreacres recover from Ike.
The Houston Chronicle’s article is “Tiny Shoreacres bears big burden.”
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hurricane/ike/6109463.html
"Hurricane Ike's storm surge slammed into the picturesque Shoreacres
bayfront in the predawn darkness, turning houses into breezeways as it knocked out walls on its relentless push inland. Today, exactly two months after Ike hit, the scene remains one of utter devastation.
"Eighty-eight percent of the 693 homes in this southeast Harris County
community were flooded, including many that stayed dry during Hurricane Carla in 1961, Hurricane Alicia in 1983 and Tropical Storm Allison in 2001, City Administrator David Stall said. Only about half of the 1,500 residents have returned.
"Stall, the city administrator, said only about a dozen families rode
out the storm in Shoreacres. No one died during Ike, he said, but one elderly man died later from illness he contracted while staying in a house full of wet furniture.
"Stall and other members of the town's 14-person work force kept
Shoreacres functioning in spite of flooded water and sewer plants, no water service for two weeks and no power for even longer.
"Stall slept in his car or on the second floor of City Hall, which stayed dry. With no cell phone service in town, he drove daily into Houston with an air card-equipped laptop until he found a signal so he could download e-mails and post information on the town's Web site."
A heartfelt “Thank You” to David and Linda for all their accomplishments against the Corridor and best wishes to David as he works to help his city.
The Houston Chronicle’s article is “Tiny Shoreacres bears big burden.”
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hurricane/ike/6109463.html
"Hurricane Ike's storm surge slammed into the picturesque Shoreacres
bayfront in the predawn darkness, turning houses into breezeways as it knocked out walls on its relentless push inland. Today, exactly two months after Ike hit, the scene remains one of utter devastation.
"Eighty-eight percent of the 693 homes in this southeast Harris County
community were flooded, including many that stayed dry during Hurricane Carla in 1961, Hurricane Alicia in 1983 and Tropical Storm Allison in 2001, City Administrator David Stall said. Only about half of the 1,500 residents have returned.
"Stall, the city administrator, said only about a dozen families rode
out the storm in Shoreacres. No one died during Ike, he said, but one elderly man died later from illness he contracted while staying in a house full of wet furniture.
"Stall and other members of the town's 14-person work force kept
Shoreacres functioning in spite of flooded water and sewer plants, no water service for two weeks and no power for even longer.
"Stall slept in his car or on the second floor of City Hall, which stayed dry. With no cell phone service in town, he drove daily into Houston with an air card-equipped laptop until he found a signal so he could download e-mails and post information on the town's Web site."
A heartfelt “Thank You” to David and Linda for all their accomplishments against the Corridor and best wishes to David as he works to help his city.
Giving thanks for some anti-Corridor folks
On this day before Thanksgiving, I’m thinking of some of the people who have fought against the Trans-Texas Corridor for the past several years, and I’m giving thanks for them.
Unfortunately, two of these influential people are out of combat right now. Sal Costello has moved to Illinois, and David Stall’s time is totally dedicated to helping Shoreacres, where he is city administrator, recover from Hurricane Ike.
Luckily, Marcia and Ralph Snyder are still fighting against the Corridor, and they have won an award for it.
SAL COSTELLO
Sal was the founder of People for Efficient Transportation and Texas Toll Party. He started his transportation activism fighting the toll road plans in Austin, then added the fight against the Corridor to his efforts. His blog The Muckracker was full of research and the scandalous doings of “tollers,” including local and state office holders. Sal never pulled his punches or minced words. He was threatened with at least one lawsuit, but as far as I know no lawsuit against him was successful.
Ben Wear discusses Sal’s anti-toll career in his Statesman column.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/11/17/1117wear.html
Sal has recently moved to a very small community in Illinois where he and his family are finding the peace and quiet that eluded them while Sal was going full steam ahead against toll roads and the Corridor.
What was to be his last Muckracker post is entitled “I Say Good-bye,” although when I went back to check, I see that Sal has posted a couple more times. Maybe he will continue to comment on the Austin and Texas transportation scene from time to time. To see his account of his efforts and the reasons for his move, go to
http://salcostello.blogspot.com/
and scroll down to 11/09/2008.
I'm covering David Stall and the Snyders in subsequent posts.
Unfortunately, two of these influential people are out of combat right now. Sal Costello has moved to Illinois, and David Stall’s time is totally dedicated to helping Shoreacres, where he is city administrator, recover from Hurricane Ike.
Luckily, Marcia and Ralph Snyder are still fighting against the Corridor, and they have won an award for it.
SAL COSTELLO
Sal was the founder of People for Efficient Transportation and Texas Toll Party. He started his transportation activism fighting the toll road plans in Austin, then added the fight against the Corridor to his efforts. His blog The Muckracker was full of research and the scandalous doings of “tollers,” including local and state office holders. Sal never pulled his punches or minced words. He was threatened with at least one lawsuit, but as far as I know no lawsuit against him was successful.
Ben Wear discusses Sal’s anti-toll career in his Statesman column.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/11/17/1117wear.html
Sal has recently moved to a very small community in Illinois where he and his family are finding the peace and quiet that eluded them while Sal was going full steam ahead against toll roads and the Corridor.
What was to be his last Muckracker post is entitled “I Say Good-bye,” although when I went back to check, I see that Sal has posted a couple more times. Maybe he will continue to comment on the Austin and Texas transportation scene from time to time. To see his account of his efforts and the reasons for his move, go to
http://salcostello.blogspot.com/
and scroll down to 11/09/2008.
I'm covering David Stall and the Snyders in subsequent posts.
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