(TX) City Council revokes $32 million pledge for rail system

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http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/City-Council-revokes-32-million-pledge-for-rail-5674561.php

City Council revokes $32 million pledge for rail system
By Vianna Davila : August 7, 2014 : Updated: August 8, 2014 12:04am

SAN ANTONIO — Putting aside an effort to get streetcar on the November ballot, the majority of the City Council voted Thursday to revoke $32 million previously allocated for the rail system and pledged to work toward passage of a City Charter amendment in May, so that no rail project could ever be built here without the public eventually getting to vote.

Council members voted 7-2 to revoke the money and to create a commission that would study several possible City Charter amendments, including a procedure to hold a public vote on rail. District 9 Councilman Joe Krier and District 10 Councilman Mike Gallagher were the only two council members to vote against the city staff recommendation.

Gallagher had earlier made a motion to amend the proposed ordinance, so that a vote on a streetcar-related charter amendment would be held in November — an effort to satisfy the demands of streetcar opponents who'd organized a petition drive to see the issue voted on this fall. Krier, District 6 Councilman Ray Lopez and District 8 Councilman Ron Nirenberg joined Gallagher voting for that amended motion but it failed, 5-4.

Petitioners had gathered more than 26,000 signatures in order to force the public vote in November. But City Attorney Robbie Greenblum ultimately determined they didn't have the necessary 20,000 valid signatures to meet the City Charter amendment process. Specifically, Greenblum said more than 8,000 signatures were not valid because they were on petition pages that were missing a circulator signature.