Category: MPO

LAWSUIT GIVES MPO TRANSPORTATION BOARD A BLACK EYE

Posted on by

Citizens demand accountability, open and responsive government

MPO TRANSPORTATION POLICY BOARD STATEMENT
October 24, 2005

Concerns about the toll plans for Bexar County and across the state have birthed a far-reaching movement that crosses party lines and socioeconomic status. Our local group has more than doubled in size in just the last 4 weeks. Everyone is affected by the higher cost of transportation!

Our group of concerned citizens has PLEADED with this body to stop the toll plans and to do the right thing. We’ve asked you to order an independent review of the toll plans. We’ve asked you to consider reconfiguring the composition of this Board. We’ve asked you to change meeting times to allow for greater public input. We’ve asked you to fight for our fair share of the gas tax to return to this region. We’ve asked you to properly study the impact of high gasoline prices on toll feasibility. You have stubbornly IGNORED EVERY ONE of these practical and reasonable requests. Now you have a lawsuit against you for violating the constitutional separation of powers and for privatizing and tolling our tax funded public highways.

An ounce of prevention equals a pound of cure. You ought to heed that advice. The taxpayers will not stand idly by and allow you to hold Texas families’ hostage to pay a toll just to drive to work, school, or shop without our consent!

We’re advocating a good government solution to a very prolific problem. Our government has lost touch with those whom it is called to and paid to serve. We’re suggesting the current dysfunctional and unconstitutional MPOs be replaced with legal entities composed of seven-member boards serving two year terms. Texas citizens should elect five “at large” seats, the Governor appoints one member, and the local transit organization appoints the seventh member of each regional board. At the very least, only elected members should be vested with voting powers and be who constitutes a quorum.

The Governor is coming under fire from some members of the press who see his scheme as bad for Texas. Rick Perry’s “innovative financing” made Texas Monthly’s “Top 10 ways to Fix Texas.” The article includes “Stop the toll road menace” at the #2 position. It states, “Turning planned freeways-that’s freeways-into toll roads in urban areas and holding commuters hostage is downright un-American and un-Texan,” –Texas Monthly, August 2005.

We’re a nonpartisan grassroots watchdog organization seeking efficient transportation solutions, good government and accountability. The Texas Toll Party is not opposed to traditional toll roads that are designed and built as whole new highways that complement free expressways. Traditional tollways are primarily funded with investor dollars. In contrast, “freeway tolls” are funded with tax dollars to create a revenue-generating machine that does not solve traffic congestion. Freeway tolls shift public highways to tollways and hold drivers hostage to pay a fee to drive to work, school or play.

This scheme is illegal, unconstitutional, un-American and definitely un-Texan! We await your decision to make this very wrong situation right again, which is the only thing that will restore the public trust.

TOLL PARTY FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST PERRY, TxDOT, and MPOs!

Posted on by

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GOV. PERRY LACKS AUTHORITY TO COMPLETE HIS UNLAWFUL PLAN TO PRIVATIZE AND TOLL PUBLIC HIGHWAYS!

Austin, TX. — People for Efficient Transportation, Inc. filed a lawsuit today in the District Court of Travis County, on behalf of taxpayers throughout Texas against Governor Rick Perry. The lawsuit takes Gov. Perry to task, as the state’s Chief Planning Officer, for allowing unlawful Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) to allocate federal dollars, which includes allocating funds for Perry’s plan to privatize and toll our tax funded Texas public highways.

NO AUTHORITY TO ALLOCATE FEDERAL FUNDS
Governor Perry has mandated that MPOs shift our public freeways into tollways across the state; however, MPOs simply have no authority whatsoever to dispense funds for such an unpopular and unconstitutional scheme. That includes allocating tax dollars to Gov. Perry’s unelected, unaccountable Regional Mobility Authoritys (RMAs) which will set the toll rates for our already tax funded public highways! It’s important to note that public highways have never been shifted to tollways in the history of our country.

TEXAS CONSTITUTION VIOLATED
Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO – www.campotexas.org) and San Antonio Metropolitan Planning Organization (SAMPO – www.sametroplan.org) are also named in the suit as two of the many MPO boards in Texas are violating the Texas constitution. The constitution clearly states there must be a “separation of powers between the legislative and executive branch”, however, the MPOs have legislators, yes, State Representatives and Senators, serving on these administrative boards.

The first leg of Rick Perry’s Trans Texas Corridor, a 4,000 mile plan of supertollways, was approved by Capital Area MPO in 2000 without the MPO having one statute that allowed it to allocate tax dollars to the 130 Corridor just east of Austin.

DOUBLE TAX WITHOUT AUTHORITY
“The Governor has no clothes.” said PET officer and founder Sal Costello, “At this moment, a Texas law simply does not exist to allow Rick Perry to complete his plan of converting our public highways to tollways.”

Costello added, “Rick Perry’s Double Tax tolling scheme takes existing public highway projects that are fully funded with gas tax dollars, some on the verge of completion, and turns them into toll roads at the last minute. It’s a double tax. It’s morally and ethically wrong. The Governor is being deceptive when he tells the public that he won’t toll existing highways. This deception allows billions of dollars worth of taxpayer-funded roads, and right of way in Texas to be shifted to toll roads, to hold Texas families hostage to pay a toll to drive to work, school or shop. On top of that, he’s doing it without following Texas law.”

Sal Costello continued, “Gov. Perry calls his scheme to toll our already tax funded roads ‘innovative financing’. We call it Highway Robbery!”

MPOs such as CAMPO represent a hodge podge of board members. With State Representatives and Senators serving unconstitutionally on these MPO boards, State Representative Terry Keel has stated there is “an inherent conflict of interest.”

A GOOD GOVERNMENT SOLUTION
Backed by outraged taxpayers throughout the state, PET Inc. is suggesting a good government solution to the current dysfunctional and unconstitutional MPOs: 1) Dismantle the current unconstitutional MPOs. 2) Replace the current MPOs (http://www.dot.state.tx.us/tpp/mpo/map.htm) with legal entities composed of seven-member boards serving two year terms. Texas citizens should elect five “at large” seats, the Governor appoints one member, and the local transit organization appoints the seventh member of each regional board.

The Governor is coming under fire from some members of the press who see his scheme as bad for Texas. Rick Perry’s “innovative financing” made Texas Monthly’s “Top 10 ways to Fix Texas.” The article includes “Stop the toll road menace” at the #2 position. It states, “Turning planned freeways-that’s freeways-into toll roads in urban areas and holding commuters hostage is downright un-American and un-Texan.,” Texas Monthly, 8/05.

People for Efficient Transportation, Inc, is a nonpartisan grassroots watchdog organization seeking efficient transportation solutions, good government and accountability. PET is not opposed to traditional toll roads that are designed and built as whole new highways that complement free expressways. Traditional tollways are primarily funded with investor dollars. In contrast, “freeway tolls” are funded with tax dollars to create a revenue-generating machine that does not solve traffic congestion. Freeway tolls shift public highways to tollways and hold drivers hostage to pay a fee to drive to work, school or play.

People for Efficient Transportation, Inc. is represented in this suit by the Texas Legal Foundation and its President and General Counsel, former Texas Supreme Court Justice Steve Smith.

It’s clear where the Perry administration stands on toll roads. The Governor and his appointees want to turn a great many of our highways into tollways. Consider this quote from Ric Williamson who was appointed by Rick Perry to govern TXDOT: “In your lifetime, most existing roads will have tolls.”

Contact: Sal Costello, Founder of PET Inc.
Tel: 512/371-9926
Email: imacsal@aol.com

People for Efficient Transportation, Inc.
9901 PO Box 90715
Austin, TX 78709-0715

END

—————————————

Texas Legal Foundation
710 West Avenue
Austin, Texas 78701

10/05/05

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Texas Legal Foundation (“TLF”) today filed suit on behalf of People for Efficient Transportation, Inc. against Governor Rick Perry, the Texas Department of Transportation, Capitol Area Metropolitan Transportation Organization (“CAMPO”) (www.campotexas.org) , and the San Antonio-Bexar County Metropolitan Transportation Organization (“SAMPO”) (www.sametroplan.org).

Former Texas Supreme Court Justice Steven W. Smith, who is TLF’s president & general counsel, said: “The purpose of the lawsuit is to make these local public entities more accountable to the voters.”

David Rogers, TLF’s policy director, said: “This lawsuit is exactly what the Texas Legal Foundation was chartered to do. A supermajority of Texans oppose tolls on taxpayer-funded highways, and want government to be accountable for toll decisions, but those desires have been ignored by government.”

Smith added: “Even though polls show that more than 80% of central Texans oppose the governor’s toll-tax plan, CAMPO and SAMPO have repeatedly chosen to endorse that fundamentally flawed plan.”

In the suit, People for Efficient Transportation, the plaintiff, makes the following legal allegations: (1) Neither the governor nor the Texas Department of Transportation has authority under Texas law to create special districts like CAMPO and SAMPO; (2) Legislators serving on the CAMPO and SAMPO boards violate the separation of powers provision of the Texas Constitution; and (3) neither CAMPO nor SAMPO have authority under Texas law to appropriate the tens of millions of dollars they spend each year.

The plaintiff does not request injunctive relief at this time, but expects that the Legislature will respond to a declaratory judgment in the plaintiff’s favor by adopting, in a timely manner, legislation that properly authorizes CAMPO and SAMPO. The plaintiff, TLF and others will pressure the Legislature to pass legislation that, in addition to fixing the constitutional flaws raised in the suit, makes those entities more accountable to the Texans they serve.

The Texas Legal Foundation is a nonprofit corporation chartered to advocate “conservative public policy positions that are held by a majority of Texas citizens but that have not been implemented by the government.”

END

Remember Who Voted to Toll You!

Posted on by

With upcoming elections, let’s remember who the bad guys are. TxDOT is just following orders. It’s the Governor, Legislature, County Commissioners (who petitioned to start the RMA tolling authority), and MPO who brought us toll proliferation WITHOUT A VOTE OF THE PEOPLE. So to make it perfectly clear who the good guys and bad guys are, here’s the list:

Bad Guys
It starts at the top…

  • Governor Rick Perry

ALL STATE SENATORS and ALL but 19 STATE REPRESENTATIVES voted for massive toll tax increases (SB 792)!

Read more about this vote for the highest possible tolls by your State Representatives here.

The few GOOD GUYS in the TEXAS HOUSE who voted AGAINST SB 792 in the 80th Legislature are:

Nathan Macias (lead the charge)
David Leibowitz
Lon Burnam
Joaquin Castro
Garnet Coleman
Joe Farias
Jessica Farrar
Stephen Frost
Ana Hernandez
Jodie Laubenberg
Trey Martinez Fischer
Ruth McClendon
Sid Miller
Ken Paxton
Robert Puente
Joe Straus
Senfronia Thompson
Marc Veasey
Mike Villarreal
Notably absent from this list is San Antonio Representative Frank Corte whose district is under a FULL toll assault on both Hwy 281 and Loop 1604!

The San Antonio Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)

On December 3, 2007, the MPO voted to approve the toll rates for the conversion of a FREEway into a tollway (on US 281) and to use an additional $112 million in ($325 million total) Texas Mobility Funds to toll 281 & 1604 (when they could use those funds to keep them FREEways)! Read more about it here.

MPO members who voted to increase your taxes on driving
Sheila McNeil,
Councilwoman, Dist. 2, called northsiders “those people” who can afford the tolls while taking thousands in campaign contributions from pro-toll interests like Zachry and Red McCombs
Diane Cibrian,
Councilwoman, Dist. 8, campaigned on lowering taxes but just voted FOR the largest tax increase in TX history! Today is the first day we enlist Jacob Dell to take her seat! Better yet, a RECALL!
Jack Leonhardt,
Windcrest Mayor, said he received 5,000 emails FOR and only a few hundred against (we confirmed that over 1,200 emails AGAINST were sent using our email alias)…so he lied!
Chico Rodriguez,
Bexar County Commissioner who has an opponent in the primary in March
William Weeper,
Claimed he received more emails in favor of tolls and was compelled to “do what the people want” and vote FOR a TAX INCREASE!
Joe Aceves,
county employee who did what pro-toll Judge Wolff told him to do even though 2 of the 3 commissioners on the MPO voted AGAINST and the county has twice passed a resolution AGAINST tolling existing freeways (which are smoke & mirrors and worthless apparently)
Two TxDOT votes (David Casteel & Clay Smith, one of the TxDOT employees seen walking into the Oct. 19 Valero meeting where the highway lobby strategized on how to win approval of the toll roads at today’s mtg)
Two Via Votes (Ruby Perez, who’s also chummy with Sheila McNeil, and Hank Brummet, who previously voted WITH us when he was on the MPO years ago…guess that proposed Park & Ride at Marshall Rd. was enough to co-opt them into voting FOR more highways against their own stated mission of mass transit)
Two City employees (one, Mark Webb, is the boss of a Via Board member Ruby Perez, and Jelynne Burley is the other)

The few heroic GOOD GUYS
Commissioner Tommy Adkisson (wait till you see his impassioned speech when we get it on YouTube, a true advocate of mass transit and simple solutions like contraflow lanes, etc.)
Commissioner Lyle Larson (noted the Legislature is just as guilty for raiding gas taxes)
Rep. David Leibowitz (he’s a fabulous litigator and got the RMA to admit to a non-compete and to tolling existing roads)
Senator Carlos Uresti (poked holes in the RMA’s numbers, logic, determined their plan doesn’t achieve congestion relief AT ALL for those who cannot afford tolls)

In the News…

Posted on by

City Councilmen on MPO Sold Out to Highway Interests

Posted on by

Voted Against Accountability, Against the People!

First things first, thank you to EVERYONE who turned out for the MPO Special Meeting today. Your presence was vital and what you witnessed was unparalleled, unabashed malfeasance on the part of both un-elected & elected city officials! The majority of the MPO are paid city staffers and they along with the 3 city councilmembers on the MPO clearly marched in lockstep to the beat of highway special interests at today’s MPO special meeting to address the need for an independent review. New MPO Chair Councilman Richard Perez didn’t disappoint and continued to hem, haw, tap dance, and stonewall around holding TxDOT accountable for the $48 million FUNDED original VIABLE ALTERNATIVE plan for US 281. His behavior along with that of Hall, Haass, and paid city staff is an egregious and gross abuse of power!

Every member of the Board who showed up, voted against accountability and against the people by voting against an independent review with the exception of two unfailing advocates for the people, Commissioners Lyle Larson and Tommy Adkisson. TxDOT who clearly has a conflict of interest voting to allocate money for their own projects, did NOT recuse themselves from the vote and voted against the PEOPLE! The battle lines have been drawn and we now know without a doubt who is representing the people and who is representing special highway interests. Those who voted against a review are doing the bidding of Governor Perry and the TxDOT intimidators who threatened to pull our highway funding if these guys supported a review.

Here’s who voted against the PEOPLE:
Chairman Richard Perez – Councilman-District 4 City of San Antonio 210-207-7281 or district4@sanantonio.gov
Vice Chair Amy Madison – Director of Community Development Randolph Region 210-658-7477 or amadison@ci.schertz.tx.us
Sergio “Chico” Rodriguez – Commissioner Bexar County 210-335-2611 or chico@bexar.org
Christopher “Chip” Haass – Councilman-District 10 City of San Antonio 210-207-7276 or district10@sanantonio.gov
Art Hall – Councilman District 8 City of San Antonio 210-207-7086 or district8@sanantonio.gov
Emil R. Moncivais, AICP – Director of Planning City of San Antonio 210-207-7952 or emoncivais@sanantonio.gov
Thomas G. Wendorf, P.E. – Director of Public Works City of San Antonio 210-207-8022 or try twendorf@sanantonio.gov
Jack Leonhardt – Mayor GBCCC 210-655-0022 or mayor@ci.windcrest.tx.us
David Casteel, P.E. – District Engineer TxDOT 210-615-5801
Clay R. Smith, P.E. – Planning Engineer TxDOT 210-615-5920

Voted For (an independent review)
Tommy Adkisson – Commissioner Bexar County 210-335-2614 or tadkisson@bexar.org
Lyle Larson – Commissioner Bexar County 210-335-2613 or lylelarson@bexar.org

Abstained
Al Notzon – Executive Director AACOG 210-362-5281 or anotzon@aacog.com
(Deferred to elected officials)

No Shows
Hon. Leticia Van de Putte – State Senator District 26 210-733-6604 or dist26 Mail Form
Les Locke, P.E. – Bexar County 210-335-6700 or try leslocke@bexar.org
Oliver Hill – VIA Board Member VIA 210-648-3398
Hank Brummett – VIA Board Member VIA 210-648-3398

From here on out, DO NOT distribute ANY “Highway Robbery” fliers with Chip Haass’ quote on it. He is now officially on the de-elect list. When the chips were down, he didn’t come through. He actually told an ally that his district is FOR TOLLS. If you live in Chip Haass’ district, YOU NEED TO TAKE ISSUE WITH HIS PERCEPTION THAT YOU WELCOME TOLLS ON HIGHWAYS YOU’VE ALREADY PAID FOR!

BATTLE PLAN
This war is not over. The voters ultimately have the final say even though the Governor and the Legislature have made it extremely difficult for the taxpayers to beat this back. Today demonstrates our urgent need to take our government back. This is not government of the people, by the people, for the people. We need to continue to focus our efforts on our state legislators, especially Rep. Frank Corte whose district is most affected by the first round of freeway tolls. Our elected officials are so entrenched with the special interests that they refuse to represent the best interest of and the clearly articulated will of the people they serve.

TODAY’S SHOT IN THE ARM

State Rep. David Leibowitz gave a strong show of support for an independent review today. Read his press release below. Call to thank him and ask for continued support for accountability for this toll plan (512-463-0269). We need allies such as Rep. Leibowitz to put Transportation Chair Ric Williamson and his TxDOT thugs in their place. This toll mandate is top-down without a vote of the people being asked to anti-up thousands of dollars a year in tolls throughout Texas.

We aren’t going to lay down and lick our wounds and let these guys silence our voice! Are you angry at the arrogance of these elected officials? Are you fed-up with our public servants being more concerned with their own self-interest than the public’s best interest? Are you going to let a no tax pledge Governor Perry get away with the largest tax increase in Texas history? Channel that energy into our…

NEXT STEPS
“Hit the Toll Road, Perry” Rally and Press Conference
Wednesday, Sept. 7 @ 6 PM
Henry B Gonzales Convention Center (Market Street side)
Contact: Sudie Sartor at (210) 496-2997 or sudiesartor@yahoo.com
or Bob and Barb Meshanko at (830) 438-3449 or meshanko@gvtc.com

Well, Governor-appointed Chair of the Transportation Commission Ric Williamson is coming to town Sept 7-8 for the Transportation Leadership Forum, a cheerleading convention for highway interests and those who stand to profit from tolls being placed on freeways we’ve already paid for!

Make sure you and every neighbor, co-worker, family member, and friend attend our rally on Sept. 7 at 6 PM. Our supportive public officials will be there and most importantly, YOU will be there to express your OUTRAGE over this misuse of taxpayer money and the DOUBLE TAXATION of freeways we’ve already paid for! Bring signs with choice sayings like “Stop the Double Tax,” “No New Toll Tax” and any other clean and creative sayings you like.

For event information contact: Sudie Sartor at (210) 496-2997 or sudiesartor@yahoo.com
or Bob and Barb Meshanko at (830) 438-3449 or meshanko@gvtc.com

UPCOMING TxDOT PUBLIC HEARINGS
Thursday, September 8, 2005 to be held in Specht Elementary, 25815 Overlook Parkway.

This one is for US 281 from Evans Road to the Bexar County Line. The open house will begin at 6:30 PM and the actual meeting will begin at 7:00 PM. As you come in, you will be asked to sign in and, at that time, you will be able to mark (on the sign-in sheet) whether you will be making an oral statement or not. Speakers will generally be called in the order that they signed in.

The PUBLIC HEARING that was scheduled for Sept. 15 is the Public Hearing for LP 1604. This meeting is now tentatively scheduled for November 2005.

Posted in MPO

State Rep. Leibowitz Urges MPO to Approve Independent Review!

Posted on by


Representative DAVID Leibowitz CALLS FOR Metropolitan Planning organization to approve an INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF the BEXAR COUNTY TOLL ROAD PLAN

For Immediate Release
Wednesday, August 31, 2005

SAN ANTONIO – State Representative David McQuade Leibowitz sent the following letter to the Transportation Policy Board of the San Antonio – Bexar County Metropolitan Planning Organization which will discuss today authorizing an independent review of the Bexar County toll road plan:

I am writing to express my strong support for an independent review of the Bexar County toll plan. It is the right thing to do for the taxpayers of Bexar County.

I have grave concerns about the way the state has shifted its policy for constructing new highways to only allowing the construction of toll roads. This process is turning free roads already budgeted for expansion, like Highway 281 north of Loop 1604, into toll roads. This is double-taxation and an outrage. These tolls will be infinite and never end. In other states, toll roads paid for 50 years ago are still collecting tolls as a cash cow for government.

To make matters worse, local officials are largely shut out of the process and are having local decisions made by bureaucrats and state leaders in Austin. In June, the Texas Transportation Commission decided to pursue a private bid to build and operate toll roads in Bexar County. San Antonio and Bexar County officials were not allowed to participate or even comment on this decision. The Alamo Regional Mobility Authority, which is supposed to be our local toll road entity, did not even know that this decision was on the Texas Transportation Commission’s agenda.

The secrecy surrounding the Bexar County plan is very disturbing. Local leaders may see the private toll road proposal by Spain-based Cintra and Zachry American Infrastructure, but are prohibited from disclosing any information about the plan to the public. It is unreasonable for the public to be expected to fund a multi-billion dollar toll road system in Bexar County without knowing what they are going to be paying for.

It is time to apply the brakes on this train and allow a little sunshine into this process. That is why I strongly support an independent review of the planned Bexar County toll road system. The City of Austin approved an independent review earlier this year after their toll road authority revealed that the cost per mile for tolls would probably be 44 cents to 64 cents per mile instead of the 12 cents to 15 cents per mile that was initially disclosed to the public. Interestingly enough, Bexar County residents are being told that their toll roads will “only” cost 15 cents per mile to use. It has also come out in Austin that some roads are having their construction delayed because they are waiting to build them as toll roads instead of using existing, available funding to build or expand already planned free highways. Bexar County residents deserve an independent, outside look at what to this date has been a secretive, Austin-driven plan.

I hope the board approves this independent review of the proposed toll road system. Bexar County taxpayers deserve nothing less.

Rob Borja
Chief of Staff
Rep. David Leibowitz
District 117
(p) 512/463-0269
(f) 512/320-0555

Posted in MPO

MPO Stonewalling: All Paths Lead to Councilman Richard Perez

Posted on by

We knew we were in for a bumpy ride when we discovered at the 11th hour last Thursday that a vote on an independent review wasn’t on the posted agenda. The MPO is subject to open meetings requirements and must have their agenda posted 72 hours before the meetings; they cannot vote on unlisted items. Commissioner Tommy Adkisson tried to single-handedly take on TxDOT and highway interest money that flows all around the courthouse and city hall by simply asking to have the item on the agenda. Adkisson can’t remember a time when a Board Member’s request for an agenda item was EVER turned down, much less one this crucial after loads of calls and emails asking him to include it. Wow, losing our one BIG ally as the Chair of the MPO is already proving devastating to our cause. We miss you as Chair Lyle!

It’s clear someone is wining and dining Richard Perez! One guess as to who? Our friendly neighborhood highway interests in town, perhaps, Zachry? Word on the street is that he has higher aspirations and is eyeing a State Rep job, instead of serving his current district 4 in San Antonio! Perez was the ONLY vote with TxDOT on the MPO Board today against having a meeting to discuss an independent review. He essentially wouldn’t even vote for a discussion of it when we have a boatload of evidence that TxDOT has disappearing cash for funded highway improvements on 281, constantly shifting cost estimates, they’re violating the existing highway conversion statute and that’s just for starters! That’s more than enough fodder for an independent review. Plus, it’s the only way to get a true comparison of the costs for our highway improvements in a side by side toll vs. no toll format.

Commissioner Adkisson was at least able to get a special meeting scheduled to discuss the parameters of the review and to rescind a key item from last month’s agenda. The special meeting where they WILL FINALLY VOTE for an INDEPENDENT REVIEW is set for Wed., Aug 31 at 3 PM at the Via Metro Center at 1021 San Pedro. Councilmembers Chip Haass whose district is going to be tolled, didn’t even SHOW UP at today’s MPO meeting and Senator Leticia Van De Putte conveniently left before a vote took place. Art Hall wasn’t present because his wife was delivering their new baby girl!

Here’s how the vote for a special meeting to discuss a review came down:

Yeas –
Adkisson
Larson
Rodriguez
Notzon
Locke
Moncivias
Wendorf
Madison

Nays –
Casteel – TxDOT
Smith – TxDOT
PEREZ

Amy Madison thinks TxDOT’s fast track plan was “already” reviewed sufficiently when they considered the issue in July 2004 (Was that before or after TxDOT “misplaced” $48 million, Amy? Also over half the board members from July ’04 aren’t even on the board today), Perez claims he can’t “understand” what we’re reviewing (even though we made the parameters clear), Rodriguez said he wasn’t inclined to vote for a review though he voted for the meeting. The other appointees came through so now you know who needs some “encouragement” to vote for an independent review. See above for reasons it’s justified and important to do one before opening the floodgates to tolls forever!

We need a full court press in preparation for the Aug. 31 meeting, with constituents in elected MPO Board members districts rallying votes for an independent review as well as emails or calls to appointees. Be sure to profusely thank Commissioners Tommy Adkisson and Lyle Larson for sticking their necks out there FOR the people!

Voting Members
Chairman Richard Perez – Councilman-District 4 City of San Antonio 210-207-7281 or district4@sanantonio.gov
Vice Chair Amy Madison – Director of Community Development Randolph Region 210-658-7477 or amadison@ci.schertz.tx.us
Hon. Leticia Van de Putte – State Senator District 26 210-733-6604 or dist26 Mail Form
Al Notzon – Executive Director AACOG 210-362-5281 or anotzon@aacog.com
Tommy Adkisson – Commissioner Bexar County 210-335-2614 or tadkisson@bexar.org
Lyle Larson – Commissioner Bexar County 210-335-2613 or lylelarson@bexar.org
Sergio “Chico” Rodriguez – Commissioner Bexar County 210-335-2611 or chico@bexar.org
Les Locke, P.E. – Bexar County 210-335-6700 or try leslocke@bexar.org
Christopher “Chip” Haass – Councilman-District 10 City of San Antonio 210-207-7276 or district10@sanantonio.gov
Art Hall – Councilman District 8 City of San Antonio 210-207-7086 or district8@sanantonio.gov
Emil R. Moncivais, AICP – Director of Planning City of San Antonio 210-207-7952 or emoncivais@sanantonio.gov
Thomas G. Wendorf, P.E. – Director of Public Works City of San Antonio 210-207-8022 or try twendorf@sanantonio.gov
Jack Leonhardt – Mayor GBCCC 210-655-0022 or mayor@ci.windcrest.tx.us
David Casteel, P.E. – District Engineer TxDOT 210-615-5801
Clay R. Smith, P.E. – Planning Engineer TxDOT 210-615-5920
Oliver Hill – VIA Board Member VIA 210-648-3398
Hank Brummett – VIA Board Member VIA 210-648-3398

“Hit the Toll Road, Perry” Rally
Wed., Sept 7 @ 5 PM

This event is scheduled on the first day of the annual Transportation Leadership Forum sponsored by the San Antonio Mobility Coalition where all of the highway interests who stand to profit off of the freeways we’ve already paid for will be under one roof in downtown San Antonio at the Henry B Gonzales Convention Center. Gov. Perry WAS the key note speaker on Wednesday evening, but he caught wind of our rally and apparently has ducked out. He’s really the master behind the tolling of Texans, but he’ll be sending his buddy, Transportation Commission Chair Ric Williamson and his Transportation Policy guy Kris Heckman.

Save the date and please contact our event planners to RSVP and see how you can help at: meshanko@gvtc.com

Posted in MPO