It was revealed in a little known Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) meeting yesterday morning, that TxDOT and the local tolling authority (Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority - CTRMA) had agreed that the Williamson County heavy CTRMA would administer all tolls that are planned on existing highways 183, 71W, 71E, 290W, 290E and 45S.
The State Comptroller Special Report called “CTRMA: A Need for a Higher Standard” exposed the tolling authority for giving out millions of dollars worth of NO BID contracts. These NO BID contracts were paid for with State, County and City Taxes and according to the report, some of the NO BID contracts went to board members and friends.
The Comptroller’s report also called the plan to toll existing highways, “Double taxation without Accountability”.
The CTRMA, is made up of mostly Williamson County (WilCo) people, with the majority of board members and Executive Director Mike Heiligenstein are from WilCo. WilCo is one-third the population and most the toll roads are in Travis. Apparently WilCo feels that Hays and Travis counties should be donor counties, as the revenue collected on Travis county roads could be easily spent in Williamson County.
Should Williamson County be tolling Travis County freeways? Should a convicted criminal be working with the tolling authority and TxDOT to toll roads we’ve already paid for?
Sen. Kirk Watson, chair of CAMPO has set that vote to toll our freeways with $900 million of our tax dollars on Oct 8th.
City of Austin records prove that one month after Sen. Kirk Watson became chair of Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) -- an organization that directs billions of road dollars in Central Texas -- Watson was put on the payroll of special interest developers who profit from important transportation decisions.
go hand in hand."
– Anonymous Reporter
"Yes, Kirk is not calling this incarnation
Phase II, but it's the same roads."
– Another Anonymous Reporter
Developers, a core of the toll lobby, see the toll road slush fund as an eternal source to pay for more sprawling roads to the land they buy cheap.
Not only is the plan of great concern, since it uses our tax dollars to build toll roads, but the roads would create monopolies by taking promised expressways and tolling them.
3 comments:
FROM AARON:
Shame, that is the best word that I can come up with to describe how I feel about you stealing my tax dollars and using them for toll roads that myself and my fellow citizens absolutely do not want.
I will not use the toll roads, I will stop at every light, and with all of this extra time spent stopped at lights on access roads that used to be MY HIGHWAY, I will think about who I will vote for, and what I can do to make life hard on the people who think nothing of stealing my money for their own personal gain.
It is outrageously obvious that
CAMPO and Kirk Watson care nothing about me and the people who pay them do do a public service. You are only serving yourselves and I pray that when the day comes that you are judged you will come to understand that what you
are doing is wrong.
Remember this, we are in a new America, where we never forget!
SHAME ON YOU CAMPO !!!!
SHAME ON YOU KIRK WATSON !!!!
FROM SAM:
I thought the people of Austin and Travis County made it clear on a number of occasions that they do not wish to pay tolls on existent roads (183, 290, and 71). It is extremely confusing that this proposal keeps resurfacing with another politician's name on it. I do not understand why Kirk Watson is now championing a proposal that is opposed by over 90% of the voting public. It appears that it is time to get a new bunch of folks into government if the present public servants no longer listen to the public. Please help us by proposing the right thing to keep paid for roads as freeways rather than tollways.
All The Best,
Sam
One thing I have learned in this process is that I need to be more watchful of those who have been elected to office to represent my interests, and not just blindly count on them to do the right thing.
Tracy
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