Latest news with #AustinCityCouncil
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- 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
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Austin City Council votes to spend $104M on foundations of caps and stitches
The Brief Austin City Council voted to fund some cap and stitches across Austin There will be three downtown caps and two northern stitches. It will cost $104 million The vote on cap designs could be postponed until November 2026 AUSTIN, Texas - Austin City Council voted to fund foundations for three downtown caps and two northern stitches. It will cost $104 million. Council voted 8-2 with 1 abstaining. Council Members Krista Laine and Marc Duchen opposed the plan, while Mike Siegel abstained. The decision came after a couple of proposed amendments. What they're saying The council was split into two subquorums. Council Members Vanessa Fuentes, Mike Siegel, Krista Laine, Marc Duchen, and Paige Ellis had a more scaled-back spending plan, starting with $49 million for two foundations. The other subquorum, Council Members Natasha Harper-Madison, Jose Velasquez, Chito Vela, Ryan Alter, and Zo Qadri, originally wanted to fund all five for about $200 million. Qadri proposed a compromise of $104 million for foundations for caps at: Cesar Chavez to 4th Street 4th Street to 7th Street 11th Street to 12th Street Two 300-foot stitches from 41st Street to the Red Line or contiguous equivalent within the cost parameters set herein and with the intent to connect Red Line Parkway, the East Avenue Trail, and 41st Street, ensuring viable space for future buildings and trees, and subject to further refinement with the community. "It's a once in a generation opportunity," Qadri said before the vote. "It's not just about parks. It's about what we can do with that space." Ellis proposed another compromise that would cost about $72 million. It would have foundations for caps at: Cesar Chavez to 4th Street 11th-12th Street 1 stitch at the Redline Parkway north 1 stitch around 5th Street That amendment ultimately failed 5-6. "Today we voted on the initial investment for Caps & Stitches over I-35. One subquorum proposed more than $400M without a legitimate plan to pay for it. We proposed a more modest approach that we knew would deliver caps, stitches and still allow us to invest more dollars in our community in the 2026 Bond, as they asked for. We landed at $104M which will accomplish reconnecting our community and still leave enough for community investments," council member Ellis said in a statement. The city's overall debt capacity is $750 million. Council members for the larger plan had proposed other funding sources. "We still want to make sure that we maintain our bond capacity," Qadri said. In a statement, Davon Barbour, president and CEO of the Downtown Austin Alliance, says: "The Downtown Austin Alliance commends Mayor Watson and Austin City Council for their thoughtful leadership in committing funding for caps over I-35 between Cesar Chavez and 4th Street, 4th-7th and from 11th to 12th Streets. We'd especially like to acknowledge Council Members Qadri, Vela, Alter, and Velasquez for their leadership in championing these transformational projects. This once-in-a-generation investment will reconnect East and West Austin, create vital public space and deliver lasting economic, cultural and mobility benefits. Funding these caps is a critical step toward ensuring I-35 works for everyone—supporting connection, commerce and quality of life. We look forward to continuing our work with public, private and philanthropic partners to bring this vision to life and help shape a more accessible, inclusive and resilient downtown." What's next The vote on cap designs could be postponed until November 2026. The Source Information from an Austin City Council meeting and statements from council members
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Austin City Council moves forward with plan to ban vape shops near schools
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin City Council is moving forward with a plan to ban new vape shops from opening near schools and daycares. Council members voted Thursday to direct the city manager to draft an ordinance prohibiting the sale of e-cigarettes and synthetic nicotine products within 1,000 feet of daycares and schools, 'to better protect youth from harmful exposure.' The city manager is expected to bring a draft ordinance to the council for consideration by Sept. 11. 'Our kids are impacted by the availability of e-cigarettes in countless ways, from negative health impacts to state-mandated disciplinary consequences that remove students from the classroom,' Council Member Krista Laine, who co-drafted the Vape-Free Schools Resolution, said. 'I am proud to lead the way in protecting Austin's children from the many negative outcomes of bringing vapes on campus.' The resolution also requires stakeholder engagement with schools, parents and businesses potentially impacted by the ordinance. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Austin City Council votes to fund columns for 3 park decks, 2 ped bridges over I-35
Following weeks of rare infighting fueled by a major budget crunch, the Austin City Council on Thursday approved $104 million to pay for columns to support three large decks and two pedestrian bridges over parts of Interstate 35 near downtown. While the 8-2 decision, with one abstention, was limited to funding for the support structures, it also served as a de-facto vote on the scope of the city's long-planned effort to physically reunite historically segregated East Austin with the heart of the city by covering a soon-to-be lowered I-35 with parks, walkways and other amenities. That's because the Texas Department of Transportation needs to know by months' end how many decks and bridges to account for as it prepares to lower and expand I-35 through Central Austin. As previously envisioned, the project included six park decks and two pedestrian bridges. The plan approved Thursday accounts for three caps, from Cesar Chavez to Fourth streets; Fourth to Seventh streets; and 11th to 12th streets, as well as two 300-foot pedestrian bridges, or "stitches," near 41st Street along the Red Line train path. The downsizing was the result of a major compromise. Ahead of the vote, the 11-member council was nearly evenly split on how many caps and stitches it should build. One camp had pushed for funding only two decks, citing the city's worsening financial outlook, while another camp had pushed for at least four. Council Member Ryan Alter was in the latter group but voted in favor of the slightly downsized plan. "What we ultimately approved is a significant investment and opportunity in not only bridging east and west, but creating meaningful spaces for people to come and enjoy," Alter said in an interview after the vote. Council Member Paige Ellis voted in favor, too, but only after her motion to pay for support structures for two caps and two stitches failed 5-6. 'This may feel like an episode of Family Feud, but we're all really fighting for the same green future,' she said. The two 'no' votes came from Council Members Marc Duchen and Krista Laine. Council Member Mike Siegel abstained. All cited concerns with the cost of the project. "The city of Austin is holding all of the financial risk of cost overruns when we all know they are coming," Laine said. "It's wild." The city is facing a $33 million budget deficit and also expecting to lose a $105 million federal grant that would have paid for one of the caps. The total project cost, accounting for the reduced number of caps, was not immediately available Thursday. With all six caps and both stitches, the estimated price tag had been $1.4 billion. The sentiments expressed during the public comment period mirrored the split on council. Many residents and groups said they wanted columns for some or all of the caps funded, saying it was an investment for future generations of Austinites. "This is one of those 'yes and' moments," said Jim Walker of the Cherrywood Neighborhood Association. "You're going to have to address the urgent needs and meet these big, multigenerational moments when they arise. They don't come very often." But others weren't so sure. Several local advocacy groups and residents opposed the plan, saying that money was needed for other more immediate needs like affordable housing, similar to the concerns of the dissenting council members. "This is not the time to put a down payment on a project that the people of Austin cannot afford," Barbara McArthur, a district 7 resident, said during public comment at Thursday's meeting. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin council votes to fund columns for 3 decks, 2 bridges over I-35
Business Journals
22-05-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Austin OKs funding for cap and stitch over I-35 expansion
Austin City Council voted May 22 to commit $104 million for the road elements of 'caps and stitches' over the Texas Department of Transportation's I-35 project.
