Major Victory! Mayor Wynn, Strama and Biscoe whisper..."u..n..c..l..e"

Central Texans, let me forecast that this letter to the CAMPO Executive Director below may serve as a landmark for our fight to keep our freeways toll free.

Of course, we'll need to keep the political pressure on, in a BIG way, but, I can see the light. This letter is signed by 3 of our true Representatives (Keel, Naishtat, Rodriguez) that fought for us since day one. Bravo and thank you to Todd Baxter and the hard work of Brewster McCracken as well.

It looks like the letter brings with it - 3 more votes to say no to double tax freeway tolls.

When I read this letter I hear Mayor Wynn, Strama and Biscoe whisper..."u..n..c..l..e".

Great job Austin Toll Party & Texas Toll Party friends!
Keep up the good work, keep an eye on the details,
and it's time to turn up the political pressure!

--------------------
July 1, 2005
Mr. Michael Aulick
Executive Director, CAMPO
P.O. Box 1088
Austin, TX 78767-1088

Dear Mr. Aulick:

At our June 6 meeting, in response to concerns about both toll roads and assumptions for land usage in the 2030 Plan, we adopted the document contingent upon a complete review of the Phase 2 toll road plan adopted in July 2004. This extensive review is required to occur in a relatively brief l2-month time frame.

This review must reflect the commitment of the CAMPO board to address the concerns raised by many Central Texans about the current 2030 Plan. This letter outlines what we believe should be the high-level policy objectives of this review, and suggests strategies to ensure that the process of conducting the review is inclusive, objective, and thorough.

Policy Objectives
We believe it is our responsibility as CAMPO board members to define the policy objectives of the Plan so that staff are guided toward a common goal in their planning efforts. Page 17 of the 2030 Plan describes a "vision" for a Central Texas transportation system that:
• Addresses the region's current travel needs and anticipates future travel needs;
• Is safe and convenientfor all residents of the region;
• Appropriately balances mobility needs with preservation of existing natural features and neighborhoods;
• Supports the use of multiple modes of travel including auto, public transportation, pedestrian, and bicycle;
• Allows for enhancedfreight mobility within and through the region;
• Supports improvement of regional air quality and water quality; and
• Is affordable and can be maintained over time.

To this list of goals we would add the following specific objectives, in an effort to ensure that
over the next twelve months we address the concerns that have been raised about the 2030 Plan. The Plan, and the l2-month review, should:

• Take into account the research of Envision Central Texas, which indicates that our region prefers a growth strategy that preserves our open spaces, protects our air and water, and directs population density in desirable areas for development throughout the region. The Plan should leverage CAMPO's transportation planning authority to promote coordinated land use management policies by political jurisdictions in the CAMPO area.

• Ensure that our transportation infrastructure is reliably financed in a fiscally responsible way. We must ensure the availability of funds to meet our needs, and at the same time we must protect users from excessive tolls beyond what is required to finance the approved infrastructure in our plan.

• Finance our transportation infrastructure in a manner that falls lightly and equitably on Central Texas motorists. Options such as a local, voter-approved gas tax of less than five cents should be fully explored. If roads must be tolled, toll rates should not exceed
national norms. Finally, we must ensure that Central Texas continues to receive its fair share of state and federal transportation funds, and does not inadvertently assume operational costs for roads that would otherwise be maintained by TxDOT.

• Meet the letter and the spirit of a new state law by designating as toll roads only new lanes that can not be financed any other way. The plan should also ensure that free roads running parallel to toll roads are not artificially congested to force drivers onto the toll roads, and delineate clearly how TxDOT and CTRMA will construct alternative free lanes so they will be clearly visible and comprehensible to the public.

• Investigate methods and associated costs for reducing overall traffic congestion levels in the CAMPO area, even accounting for the dramatic population growth anticipated in the region. A Plan that merely holds current congestion levels constant over time is inadequate for the most congested mid-sized city in the country. Reducing traffic is not only a quality-of-life issue for area residents, it is a critical economic development issue for area businesses.

Review Process
The next twelve months present our region the opportunity to conduct a measured, reasoned evaluation of the Phase 2 toll plan that has generated so much controversy in our community. As important as it is that we take advantage of this opportunity to correct any deficiencies in the Plan itself, it is equally important that we correct any deficiencies in the planning process by ensuring maximum inclusion of all affected residents.

The amendment to the 2030 Plan adopted June 6 requires CAMPO to "solicit and consider" input from Envision Central Texas, Liveable City, and the City of Austin's consultant's report. CAMPO should continue to actively solicit community feedback and demonstrably incorporate that feedback into the plan. No amount of inclusiveness or good faith can guarantee that everyone will be happy with the end product of these efforts. But an inclusive and fair process that provides everyone an opportunity to express their opinion and influence the plan enables reasonable minds to disagree.

Finally, it is critically important during the course of this review that CAMPO properly balance the need to move forward with planning and construction on our near-term projects, while preserving our ability to substantially amend the plan at the end of the review. For this reason, we ask that CAMPO staff, working with CTRMA and TxDOT, prepare a timeline for upcoming, construction projects, particularly denoting any points at which funds will be expended or contracts established that have the effect of committing our region to any toll road in the Phase 2 plan.

Because we do not speak for the entire CAMPO board, we are copying all of our fellow board members on this letter in the hopes that they will provide you with any additions, modifications, or disagreements they might have with these suggestions. We circulate this letter now because with only 12 months to review such a comprehensive plan, we believe it is necessary to begin work immediately.

Please consider incorporating these suggestions into the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) for CAMPO staff, with the goal of presenting the CAMPO board 12 months from now with amendments and/or alternatives that respond to recommendations from Envision Central Texas, Liveable City and City of Austin's consultant's study and address the concerns about both toll roads and land usage in the current 2030 Plan.

Sincerely, (Signed)

Terry Keel, State Representative, District 47
Elliott Naishtat, State Representative, District 49
Mark Strama, State Representative, District 50
Eddie Rodriguez, State Representative, District 51
Sam Biscoe, Travis County Judge
Will Wynn Austin, Mayor, City of Austin