Project Connect event to provide resources to people experiencing homelessness in Tempe
On Tuesday, April 29, the city of Tempe is hosting its fourth annual "Project Connect" event, assisting unsheltered individuals with life-changing resources.
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Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Yahoo
Bills to kill Austin light rail project die again after missing key legislative deadlines
Two bills that would have sabotaged the city of Austin's multi-billion-dollar light rail project are presumed dead after missing key legislative deadlines. Senate Bill 2519, authored by Republican Sen. Paul Bettencourt of Houston, passed the Senate and a House committee earlier this month. However, the bill was not scheduled for a vote in the Texas House before Sunday's deadline. Similarly, House Bill 3879, filed by Austin-area Republican Rep. Ellen Troxclair, advanced out of committee but was never brought to the full House for a vote. Austin City Council Member Zo Qadri, who represents downtown Austin, said the defeat of the bills was good news and 'means a lot to the people of Austin.' 'With all due respect, if you don't represent Austin, you don't know Austin,' Qadri said in an interview Tuesday. Representatives for Troxclair and Bettencourt did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Council Member Vanessa Fuentes echoed Qadri's sentiments but said she remains cautiously optimistic. That's because the bill could resurface as an amendment to separate legislation that is still under consideration. "A lot can happen in these last few days of the Texas Legislature,' Fuentes told the American-Statesman. The session adjourns on June 2. Austin voters approved Project Connect in 2020 via an ongoing 20% increase to property taxes. Initially, the $7.1 billion plan included 27 miles of light rail along with smaller transportation projects. However, it has since been reduced to less than 10 miles of rail, even as its estimated cost has remained unchanged. The project has seen numerous legal and legislative challenges from critics who have seized on the significant downsizing — and the project's novel funding mechanism. Voters approved the creation of a local government corporation, the Austin Transit Partnership, to plan the project and take on debt to finance it. That debt is intended to be repaid through a transfer of property tax dollars approved by the Austin City Council. However, no debt has yet been issued as the city and the Transit Partnership face lawsuits from a group of local taxpayers and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who argue the financing model violates state law. The Transit Partnership declined to comment on Tuesday. 'The City continues to monitor all legislation and will comply with whatever is passed,' city of Austin spokesperson David Ochsner said in a written statement. This is not the first time Troxclair and Bettencourt attempted to derail the project. Troxclair, a conservative former Austin City Council member who has led the charge to kill Project Connect, filed a similar bill in 2023 that would have forced the city to get voter approval before issuing any debt for the project. It died on a last-minute technicality. The bill Troxclair filed this year also sought to give taxpayers another means to sue the city and halt the collection of property taxes if the scope of a project changes significantly after voter approval. The change in scope has been an issue in lawsuits filed on behalf of local taxpayers by attorneys Rick Fine and Bill Aleshire, a former Travis County tax collector and judge. In a Tuesday statement, Aleshire, Fine, and several plaintiffs involved in the ongoing lawsuits blamed House Speaker Dustin Burrows for the failure of the bills, stating they could not secure his 'blessing' and vowing to continue opposing the advancement of the transit project. 'We hope that the abuse those bills addressed does not happen to other communities in Texas,' the statement said. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Bills to kill Austin light rail project die — again
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Medicaid and FAMIS application assistance available year-round in Norfolk
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The Norfolk Department of Public Health is promoting its continued availability of application assistance for Medicaid and Family Access to Medical Insurance Security (FAMIS) programs. According to a release, the department aims to raise awareness for the programs, which help to provide essential healthcare to eligible people. Some of the key benefits to both programs include comprehensive healthcare coverage, affordable care and support for families and individuals. 'We are committed to ensuring that all Norfolk residents have access to the care they need to stay healthy,' District Health Director of the Norfolk Department of Public Health Dr. Susan Girois said. 'FAMIS and Medicaid are designed to remove the financial barriers that prevent people from seeking care. We strongly encourage you to contact us to apply and take advantage of these important programs.' The application assistance is available year-round, but interested individuals are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. For more information or to see if you or your family is eligible, call or text Project Connect application assisters at 757-285-7841 or 757-284-4182 or visit their website here. Continue to check for updates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
07-05-2025
- Axios
Determining the future of Austin's interstate
Austin's plan to build park-like plazas over an expanded Interstate 35 is now in jeopardy, shaken by soaring construction costs, a city budget deficit and a fickle federal partner. Why it matters: The idea was to one day create a semblance of continuity from East Austin to downtown across a highway that has long served as a cultural, racial and physical barrier. That highway will now grow even broader as part of a multibillion-dollar plan that state officials insist will ease traffic. Catch up quick: Work is underway on the highway expansion, with the 8-mile piece through Central Austin expected to finish by 2032 — at a cost of at least $4.5 billion. The project includes: Dismantling the existing I-35 upper decks north of Manor Road. Adding two non-tolled high-occupancy lanes in each direction from U.S. 290 East to Ben White Boulevard, for a total of at least 15 lanes — though there will be more when frontage roads are folded in. Sinking lanes beneath ground level from East Oltorf Street to East Riverside Drive and from East Cesar Chavez Street to Airport Boulevard. Between the lines: Essentially powerless to stop the project, which has faced opposition from some City Council members, the city launched an initiative — Our Future 35 — that promoted an extensive system stitching together the two sides of the highway, including with tree-filled green spaces. By the numbers: Fully realized, the project could cost as much as $1.4 billion. That would cover eight stretches of the highway totaling about 26 acres. Yes, but: Congressional action means a $105 million grant expected from the U.S. Department of Transportation is now in jeopardy, Mayor Kirk Watson reported to council members last week. Meanwhile, the city faces a budget deficit and officials are looking for ways to winnow down expenses. The intrigue: Escalating construction costs, compounded by inflation, have already limited the scope of another major Austin transportation project, the light rail system called Project Connect. What they're saying: At an April work session about the caps, Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison described the expense as "the cost of trying to retrofit a major metropolitan city." "But the sustained community division, the physical barrier that I-35 continues to be to segregate our communities, to limit access to resources and opportunities for residents of East Austin," has a cost as well, she said. "Our problems have been that we have underbuilt, and we're trying to catch up to the growth and to the infrastructure needs that we've had," Council Member José "Chito" Vela said. The other side:"I like this idea of a once-in-a-generation investment opportunity for cap and stitch," Council Member Mike Siegel said at the April meeting. "But there might be other once-in-a-generation opportunities, whether it's housing, whether it's fixing leaky pipes or other, you know, necessary capital projects."
