URGENT: LATEST AUSTIN TOLL ROAD INFO (please read entire email ASAP):
CAMPO will be voting on the MASSIVE AUSTIN TOLL PLAN this coming Monday
(location and time below). CAMPO has allowed only one Public hearing, provided
limited or late information and engaged in a rush to vote on a process that
has
been less than transparent to the public.
THE GOOD NEWS
With your help, we made a crystal clear statement to CAMPO, 23 of our elected
officials - that the Proposed Toll Road Plan is grossly unacceptable to the
general public. A CAMPO Board member stated that most of the five hundred
or so
who voted "FOR" the flawed toll plan where employees of the construction and
engineering companies that would make hundreds of millions off the Toll Road
Plan if it is passed. The final official CAMPO tally was just released,
here are
the numbers (<
http://www.campotexas.org>www.campotexas.org):
"FOR" Toll Roads..................532
"AGAINST" Toll Roads......5,716
THE BAD NEWS
Even with the overwhelming NO from the public, CAMPO board members have not
responded publicly, which leaves some Austinites to believe that back room
deals are being made. Only a few of the 23 CAMPO board members have publicly
stated they are against the Toll Plan (Gerald Daugherty has recently stated he
will vote NO!).
Pete Winstead, Attorney/Lobbiest, and Mike Krusee (463-0670), Elected State
Representative/CAMPO board member, have spent the last few weeks pushing the
other CAMPO board members to vote YES to the Double Tax Toll Plan. Mike
Krusee's
House Bill 3588 is the reason we will not have the opportunity to vote on the
Toll plan. House Bill 3588 gives previously unseen power to TxDOT, TTC and the
unelected CTRMA. Other special interests/lobbiests are using extreme political
pressure and political threats to CAMPO board members even though the public
clearly says NO to the plan.
I received a call from a reliable source last night, that told me a slightly
altered (amended) Toll Plan version is being cobbled last minute, not in
accordance with the public open meetings act, to be presented as a "New,
Improved" Toll plan Monday night. And it is likely to be voted in on Monday
night (without a public hearing). Thousands of us can make a difference if we
act Today & Monday. We must keep working together to keep Austin from having
more toll Road miles than Houston & Dallas combined.
3 THINGS WE CAN DO TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE - AND SAVE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS A
YEAR.
1. Call these CAMPO board members Today and tell them not to vote for any Toll
plan that resembles the current "patchwork quilt of tolls" that uses many of
our current Highways in Austin. Also tell them - NO TAX DOLLARS to build Toll
Roads and NO CONVERSIONS! If the phone numbers are busy, please keep calling
back until you get through to each one.
Danny Thomas, City of Austin Council Member, 974-2266
Elliott Naishtat, State Representative, 463-0668
Brewster McCraken, City of Austin Council Member, 974-2256
Will Wynn, City of Austin Mayor 974-2250
Dawnna Dukes, State Representative, 463-0506
Gonzalo Barrientos, State Senator 463-0114
Daryl Slusher, City of Austin Council Member, 974-2260
2. Show up for the CAMPO Toll Road Vote. We need everyone to show up. While
CAMPO may not let the public speak on the toll road issue this Monday, we need
as many people as possible to be there to show them we are watching the vote
and that we're opposed even if they won?t let us speak.
CAMPO TOLL ROAD VOTE
Monday, July 12th 5:45 pm
Joe Thompson Center
UT Campus
(26th St. and Red River)
3. Forward this complete email to everyone you know.
AUSTIN: CITY OF TOLL ROADS?
Take a look...Dallas has 12.7 Toll Road Miles per Million people. Houston has
16.9 Toll Road Miles per Million. Austin will have more than 110 Toll Road
Miles
per Million under this Toll plan! Houston & Dallas Toll roads were carefully
planned and they complement the existing highways. The Austin Toll Plan does
not complement the existing Highways, they mostly WILL BECOME THE EXISTING
HIGHWAYS! TxDOT wants to use Billions of our tax dollars to build toll roads
that we can't drive on unless we pay a toll...that is a DOUBLE TAX!
(<
http://www.StopDoubleTax.com>www.StopDoubleTax.com) This Toll plan in Austin
seizes over 100 Million dollars of our local tax paid roads and converts them
to Toll Roads. It will cost the average Austin Family $1,000's of Dollars a
year and reduce your home values.
Your Friend and Neighbor,
Sal Costello
People for Efficient Transportation
<
http://www.TxPET.org>www.TxPET.orgYour email address will never be traded or sold. If you would like to be
removed from this email list please reply and tell me so.
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