DALLAS - With support for a $280 million streetcar system waning, officials in San Antonio and Bexar County are calling for a voter referendum on the project.
The VIA Metropolitan Transit authority has sought to build the first streetcar line without a public vote.
Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, the chief advocate of the system, said he would now instruct the county's appointees to the VIA board to withdraw support for the line that has been in development for several years.
San Antonio's interim mayor Ivy Taylor, who took over for Mayor Julian Castro after his appointment to President Obama's cabinet, said she wants to use the city's proposed $32 million contribution to the project for other purposes. She said she is asking VIA to prepare a proposal that can be taken to voters.
"Both the city and the county believe that it is important that there be community consensus on a comprehensive multi-modal transportation plan," Taylor said in a prepared statement. "At this time, there is a lack of community support for the streetcar project."
Taylor plans to appoint a Charter Commission to explore transportation and other issues.
"We hear and understand the concerns of our community and agree to discontinue our involvement in the streetcar project," Taylor said. "We wish to give San Antonio residents the opportunity to provide input on a new proposal which could culminate with a community-wide vote."
The results of a petition drive to call for a vote on the streetcar project will be announced at an Aug. 6 meeting of the City Council.
If the petition has sufficient signatures, an election would be called in November when Wolff, the longtime top administrator for Bexar County, faces re-election.
VIA officials said they have sought public comments on the project for the past two years on the streetcar project known as SmartMove.
"We have our concerns, though, that some of the backers of the petition drive to alter the San Antonio City charter are misrepresenting the purpose and effect of the petition," VIA said in response to the petition drive. "We think they are misinforming the public regarding the modern streetcar project, but we will continue to share the facts and provide accurate information on the streetcar project, and we will stay focused on making sure the transportation needs of this great city are met."
VIA has already fended off a lawsuit that sought to halt the sale of bonds for purposes unrelated to the streetcar project.
In May, an appellate court in Austin dismissed all appeals filed on behalf of Tea Party activist George Alejos seeking to block use of $33 million of bonds for transit-related improvements.
"This court case has caused delays to two very important projects at a significant cost to the taxpayers," said VIA president/ Jeffrey Arndt after the appeals court ruling.
VIA carries an issuer credit rating of A-plus from Standard & Poor's with a stable outlook.
VIA was created in 1977 to provide public transportation for Bexar County, including San Antonio. VIA is governed by an 11-member board of trustees, each member serving a two-year term, with five directors appointed by the city council, three by the county commissioner's court, two by the suburban mayors, and the chair elected by the VIA board members and serving a two-year term.
VIA imposes and collects a 0.5% sales tax within its boundaries. The Advanced Transportation District, formed in 2004 and governed by the VIA board, is a financing vehicle designed to support and enhance operations and services that VIA provides. The ATD collects a voter-approved 0.25% sales tax within the city, half of which is used by the ATD for advanced transportation projects within its boundaries.
