Opposition Lines Up Against Austin’s $90M Road-Bond Plan

DALLAS — The battle lines are being drawn in Austin over the capital city’s request for $90 million of general obligation bonds for transportation as opponents ramp up efforts to defeat the proposition on Nov. 2.

Several groups have announced their opposition to the $90 million Proposition 1, while supporters include almost 40 political, business, and civic organizations in favor of the plan to spend $51.3 million for streets and roads and $38.7 million for sidewalks, bike trails, and other transit projects.

Officials of El Concilio, a coalition of seven Mexican-American neighborhood associations in east Austin, and District 12 of the League of United Latin American Citizens held a joint news conference on Monday to oppose the bond package.

El Concilio president Gavino Fernandez said the city’s transportation program devotes too much money to easing traffic congestion in downtown Austin and not enough for local improvements.

“We are voting 'no’ on the city of Austin Bond Proposition 1, mainly because of the historical neglect of East Austin in infrastructure,” Fernandez said. 

“This bond package continues the same practice of neglect.” he said.

Fernandez said the city should defer additional debt issues for anything but critical needs until the economy improves.

“We, as voters, have a fiduciary responsibility to make a choice as to what areas and what projects we do see as a priority,” he said.

City manager Marc Ott said approval of the bonds would not require an increase in Austin’s proposed property tax for fiscal 2011 of $4.571 per $1,000 of assessed value.

Political action committees opposed to all or parts of the bond package include Sensible Transportation Solutions for Austin, the West Austin Downtown Alliance, Austinites for Downtown Mobility, and Austinites for Action, chaired by Carole Keeton Strayhorn, a former mayor and one-time Texas comptroller.

Groups endorsing the bonds include the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Sierra Club Austin Regional Group.

Get Austin Moving, the umbrella organization for supporters of the bond plan, said it has raised $85,000 in campaign funds.

Austin has about $790 million of outstanding triple-A GO debt.

Voters approved a $567.4 million GO package in November 2006 that included $103.1 million for transportation projects.

Dominic Chavez of Austinites for Action said the bond package should have been split into at least two ballot proposals, one for road projects and one for bikes, sidewalks, and trails.

“This package is more geared towards relieving congestion for joggers than it is commuters,” Chavez said. “A disproportional amount of this package is for trails and bike lanes rather than what is the real need in this community, which is relieving car traffic.”

Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell discounted the opposition’s arguments, noting that almost 60% of the bond package is devoted to relieving ­traffic congestion.

 “If we don’t work every day to improve our transportation infrastructure, we’re going to see our quality of life degraded significantly,” he said.

In a radio ad promoting the bond package, Leffingwell said the city’s traffic congestion is “bad for the environment, bad for the economy, and bad for our quality of life.”

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