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(Capital Metro)
Rendering, Project Connect station
The Austin City Council on Friday unanimously approved a measure to add to the November ballot the massive $7.1B "Project Connect," a 20-year overhaul of Austin's transit system that would include a new light rail and "rapid bus" lines.
The council plans to add it to the ballot in a formal order next week, members said. Then it's up to voters to decide whether to approve it.
<p>Because of technical difficulties, Friday's virtual meeting, in which the council also created a governing body for implementing the plan should it pass, was not streamed online. But council members shared their news on Twitter in the wake of their vote.</p><p><br/></p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c822f3ff32285fa04c656dc173e18661" id="6b910"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1291865801176354817"><div style="margin:1em 0">Project Connect is about building back better after COVID, its about transportation that works for everybody, its a… https://t.co/ap6C8V0jNj</div> — Ann Kitchen (@Ann Kitchen)<a href="https://twitter.com/D5Kitchen/statuses/1291865801176354817">1596839783.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Council members chose a scaled-down version of the plan due to economic uncertainty brought about <a href="https://austonia.com/transportation/project-connect-austin-coronavirus" target="_self">by the pandemic</a>. An earlier version, approved by council in June, would have cost $10 billion.<br/></p><p>Capital Metro <a href="https://austonia.com/transportation/project-connect-austin" target="_self">proposed $3 billion in cuts last month</a>, including the elimination of a light-rail line running from Austin Community College Highland to downtown and the shortening of another, which would span North Lamar and South Congress.</p><p>If approved by voters, the $7 billion plan will increase the city property tax rate by 8.5 cents. For the median homeowner, this means their annual property tax bill will be about $276 higher.</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7c6efe35152108c346f393acf8db696e" id="65ae7"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1291865503032659968"><div style="margin:1em 0">883 days ago I started at @capmetroatx with the board’s direction to develop a data driven community supported tran… https://t.co/Lp54EWrH1U</div> — Randy Clarke 😷 (@Randy Clarke 😷)<a href="https://twitter.com/CapMetroCEO/statuses/1291865503032659968">1596839712.0</a></blockquote></div><p>In addition to taxpayer dollars, CapMetro will still need to seek an additional $3.15 billion in funding - 45% of the total budget - from the federal government.<br/></p><p>Along with deciding which version they will add to November's ballot next week, council members and the CapMetro board also voted to create a governing body called the Austin Transportation Partnership that will oversee the implementation of the plan. </p><p>The ATP board will include representatives from City Council and the Capital Metro board as well as three community experts.</p><p><em>This story has been updated; Project Connect will be funded through a tax rate election, not a bond. </em><br/></p>
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Austin Mayor Adler talks COVID, inequity, homelessness and policing in 'State of the City' address
05 August
(City of Austin)
Austin Mayor Steve Adler delivered his annual "State of the City" address Wednesday—virtually.
This story has been updated to include quotes from the mayor's speech.
Austin Mayor Steve Adler delivered his annual "State of the City" address Wednesday evening, in which he discussed the coronavirus pandemic, police funding, the local economy, homelessness, transit and equity issues.
<p>Usually delivered to a crowd at City Hall, tonight's address was—as are all things Council these days—virtual.</p><p>"This could have been a speech only about COVID-19," Adler said. Instead, much of his 25-page address focused on the opportunities presented in this moment. </p><p>"Perhaps only at times such as these, where our routines and inertia are so utterly disrupted, can we be freed and forced to dream and act big," he said. "So let's do big things. Let's end homelessness. Let's bring real mobility to Austin. Let's reimagine how we keep one another safe. Let's address race and do something about correcting centuries of injustice because it is the fundamental injustice that fuels so many others." </p><p>Below are some quotes, excerpted from a transcript shared in advance. </p><p><strong>On the coronavirus</strong> </p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"We all want the local economy—and our lives—back as we knew them. But the governor's decision to reopen before we had sufficient testing and tracing in place and before our numbers were low enough compounded the challenge. … Truth is, the virus was never gone. <a href="https://austonia.com/testing-asymptomatic-austin" target="_blank">It just hides</a>, waiting for us to invite it back into our lives." </p><p><strong>On the economy</strong></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Unemployment is at unimaginable levels. Businesses have shuttered - some temporarily and some lost forever. Many of our neighbors don't know how they're going to feed their families or whether they'll be evicted from their homes. Tenants struggle with rent; homeowners and landlords struggle with mortgage payments. Our hospitality and creative workers and industries, so great a part of our economy, are reeling. For many, it's already too late." </p><p><strong>On homelessness</strong> </p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"To the people <a href="https://austonia.com/austin-texas-homeless-petition" target="_blank">that signed on to the petition</a> because they were desperate for a solution for people experiencing homelessness, I want to say that I share your impatience. Having chosen this more just path, though, and having rejected the false promise of cosmetic fixes, our work is incomplete unless we follow through with the commitment to house the homeless. This will require us to do a better job of inclusively managing shared public spaces." </p><p><strong>On transit</strong> </p><p style="margin-left: 40px;">"Project Connect is <a href="https://austonia.com/transportation/project-connect-austin" target="_blank">a bold transit plan</a> for the just and accessible city we aspire to be. It certainly addresses traffic, but it will do so much more. … Project Connect will connect our entire city, creating new opportunity for Austinites, reducing our dependence on expensive personal vehicles, and save lives." </p><p><strong>On police funding</strong> </p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"I want to address police department leadership. … We need not only an openness to consider change but a keen desire to move past the status quo and to look at public safety more broadly than [ever,] mainly focusing on ensuring we're best equipped to deal with unsafe moments when they occur. We need more than just a willingness to accept change <a href="https://austonia.com/austin-city-council-police-policy" target="_blank">if it happens</a>; we need a champion for change at its best."</p><p><span></span>Want to read the whole speech? Here's the transcript. </p><p class="pdf-loader"><a class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bdab21c224a6f214f9ee5a4066743481" href="https://roar-assets-auto.rbl.ms/documents/6988/SOTC 2020 FINAL.pdf">SOTC 2020 FINAL.pdf</a></p><p>Make it a game! Adler invited residents to use this bingo card to mark off every topic mentioned in the speech. Can you get to bingo? Share it on social media with #ATXSOTC.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6b0e4c3e305d794e5a8d90586202a727" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="99d54" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUzNzU2OC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1Njg4NTY1NH0.wzAmDm1N9F0NflybdxcR9O5shzZ_8EsH-H8Dhs40ywM/img.png?width=980"/>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">(City of Austin)</small></p>
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(Capital Metro)
CapMetro and the Austin City Council approved a scaled-down version of Project Connect on Monday, reducing the funding ask to voters by nearly one-third.
<p>City staff will now bring forward an official tax rate proposal for the council to vote on by Aug. 7. The proposal will include an 8.75-cent property tax increase.</p><p>The city and CapMetro also approved creating a shared governing board for the project, with officials from both entities overseeing the massive transit upgrade.<br/></p><p>"This is an exciting day to be taking a step forward," Mayor Steve Adler said. "This is both a scary time filled with uncertainties, and a time of hope as we are on the verge of real transformative change … We need to move forward to be the Austin of our aspirations, and our dreams."</p><p><strong>The influence of the pandemic</strong></p><p>The reduced ask came as a sharp turnaround for Project Connect—the city gave the nod to <a href="https://austonia.com/transportation/project-connect-tax" target="_blank">the full $10 billion plan</a> as recently as late June. The plan approved today will be just over $7 billion, with 45% coming from the federal government and most of the rest from the planned November vote. </p><p>However, the property tax increase approved by CapMetro and the council was actually slightly higher than the reduced proposal—an 8.5-cent property tax increase—brought forward last week. The 0.25-cent increase will allow Project Connect to triple the amount of funding to help with housing displacement to $300 million.</p><p><strong>For and against</strong></p><p>Of the 84 people who signed up to comment on Project Connect, 68 registered in favor of the plan, with five registering against it.</p><p>The speakers who opposed the proposal called parts of Project Connect, such as the construction of an underground rail tunnel through downtown, "sketchy," poorly planned and a "fairy tale" that could easily go over budget.<br/></p><p>"We're in the middle of a pandemic, and we don't have funds to do this sort of thing," said Caroline Reynolds, who lives near downtown and said she is drawing on her experience as an engineer. </p><p>Other residents called on the council and CapMetro to delay putting the issue on the ballot to 2022 and impressed upon the officials the possibility of the it failing during a year with such major financial crises going on.</p><p>Many spoke in support of the project, advocating for the need to work on improving public transit in the city sooner rather than later. </p><p>"I urge you all to go big on this project and support it moving forward," said Bay Scoggin, the director at<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Texas-Public-Interest-Research-Group-Texpirg-992176100844384/" target="_blank"> Texas Public Interest Research Group</a>.</p><p>Danielle Skidmore, a civil engineer and former candidate for City Council District 9, in Central Austin, also spoke in support of Project Connect. </p><p>"We will look back at 2020, and recognize it is the right time to begin this investment," Skidmore said. "Project Connect will define Austin in the 21st century."</p><p>Two more votes are required before the proposal can be put on the November ballot, the second of which will happen during the Aug. 12-14 City Council budget meetings.</p><p><em>This article was updated after the vote.</em></p>
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(Capital Metro)
CapMetro proposed a sharply scaled-back version of its massive Project Connect transit plan, cutting one rail line from the plan entirely and several miles of another.
<p>The new plan, shared Wednesday evening, comes just five days before the CapMetro board and Austin City Council plan to meet to discuss, and potentially vote on, a bond proposal to put to voters in November, and the<a href="https://austonia.com/transportation/project-connect-tax" target="_blank"> creation of a governing body</a> for construction and implementation of Project Connect.</p><p>The long-anticipated project <a href="https://austonia.com/transportation/project-connect-austin-coronavirus" target="_blank">was dealt an unexpected blow this year </a>when the pandemic brought economic insecurity to government and citizens alike.</p><p><strong>Scaling back</strong></p><p>The cuts to Project Connect reduce the cost of the plan by $3 billion to a total of $7 billion and would lower the original 11-cent tax increase to 8.5 cents. For the median homeowner, that would reduce the annual increase in their property tax bill from $358 to $276.</p><p><br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image image-crop-custom">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="61d1cf6726ba21dc4b6c6bf77a2f30d5" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="ee33f" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUwNjc2NC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MTU4NzYxNn0.Od6V5d2q8HAoxEWfSZ0qWMZHjYIT_pJaipVuE4hKdAU/img.png?width=1805&coordinates=38%2C127%2C89%2C11&height=930"/>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">(CapMetro)</small></p><p><br/></p><p>The elements cut from the plan include shortening the proposed Orange light rail line, which would span North Lamar and South Congress, so that it only stretches between Ben White and U.S. 183 rather than going all the way from Tech Ridge Center to Slaughter Lane. The mileage cut from the proposal would be replaced by MetroRapid bus service. The Gold Line from Austin Community College Highland to downtown would be replaced altogether by MetroRapid service. <br/></p><p><br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image image-crop-custom">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="06e8f1944057ba84b42465dee1076cbb" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="f3b44" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUwNjc3OC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMDc5NjA2OH0.eb7X_uIjkr4nedIB1dKFOhR6p9cicB0Pv1G1lv1zFsc/img.png?width=1814&coordinates=38%2C129%2C72%2C6&height=965"/>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">(CapMetro)</small></p><p><br/></p><p>These two changes would save CapMetro $2.35 billion, with another $500 million worth of cuts coming from unnamed savings in the construction of the downtown tunnel used by the Orange Line. </p><p>Overall, this means property owners in CapMetro's service area would pay $3.85 billion.</p><p><strong>Moving forward</strong></p><p><span></span>Council Member Ann Kitchen, who also sits on the CapMetro Board, told Austonia this week that the council plans to vote next Monday on asking city staff to bring forward a resolution regarding a potential bond election by Aug. 7. The bond election would be officially ordered during the Austin budget meetings the week of Aug. 12. </p><p>Asked whether she thinks Project Connect could be delayed due to the coronavirus, which has brought financial cutbacks for major government programs all across the nation, Kitchen said via text, "I see transit going forward."</p><p>Austin has lost both of its last two transit bond elections. The most recent loss, by 14 points in 2014, came during a year of historically low voter turnout across the nation while the other happened in 2000 and lost by just a few thousand votes. </p><p>Along with deciding whether to take the next step toward putting a bond election on the ballot, the City Council and CapMetro Board also must vote on approving the reduced Project Connect plan. Last month, <a href="https://austonia.com/transportation/project-connect-city-council" target="_blank">the pair approved the full plan</a>. </p><p>If voters approve the bond in November, CapMetro would still need to seek an additional $3.15 billion in funding—45% of the total budget—from the federal government. </p>
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(Capital Metro)
The map for the new $9.8 billion Project Connect regional transit plan is certain, but there are still many questions to be answered ahead of a November ballot question where voters will decide the fate of the proposal.
<p>The two biggest items to be decided: the exact language and tax rate that voters will see, and how the body created by the city and Capital Metro to manage the system will be composed—as well as what kind of power it will have over budgets and operations.</p><p>And there is also the matter of deciding how to sell voters on a significant property tax increase—estimated to be $360 per year for the owner of a median-priced home—in the middle of a recession and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.</p>
Paying for Project Connect—and only Project Connect
<p>The plan for Project Connect includes three light rail lines connecting north and south Austin, the airport and downtown; a downtown transit tunnel with stations; expansion of the Red Line commuter rail through East Austin and a new Green Line running northwest from downtown; better bus service and a zero-emissions fleet; 24 park and ride lots; and customer technology to "plan, pay and go."</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQwNzMxMi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MTI5MzEzN30.7SZl6AhT3pTp3CjWhRyhgZhKB5ipzycwlcJusEuMmVY/img.jpg?width=980" id="1e50e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8f03e2a1914390389d6c79a8d4caabcf" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />(Capital Metro)
<p>Council Member Jimmy Flannigan said that the state's recently instituted annual cap on property taxes, which requires voters to approve increases over 3.5% in combined city and county tax revenue growth in any one year, created the ability for the city to fund the transit plan without the extensive approvals from the legislature that had been needed for prior transit proposals.</p><p>Flannigan added that the ballot language tying the new money to the transit system should give voters some assurance that the increase won't wind up in the general fund and eventually be diverted to parks, law enforcement or emergency services.</p><p>"It's more about the system you build and governance of the financial system that you build at the beginning, and if the moneys dedicated to transit have any possibility of being redirected to other things, you're screwed," he said. "The decisions you have to make for transit are generational, but your immediate shiny object needs will always win."</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzM4NjEyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMDU2ODUyOX0.oUiGfMuAb3K2Wc3ENtjc3Zf_PvWxP-C0A6S44kVk0Ps/img.jpg?width=980" id="96f10" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="cabd05078bb4575544be9ee62b81c3d0" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Project Connect" />
Three light rail lines form the basis of the plan for Project Connect.
(Capital Metro)The governing body
<p>The issue with the most need for compromise appears to be how the governing body for the system will operate. The city and Cap Metro will have to come together to create an interlocal agreement that will state how its membership will be decided, and how much authority it will have.</p><p>Flannigan said he thinks the governing body for Project Connect should mostly be involved in the management of money and priorities passed to it annually by the city and Cap Metro—a regional transportation provider led by elected and appointed board members from Austin and several suburbs.</p><p>Austin City Council Member Ann Kitchen said the governing board may have more autonomy, but will need to include members with deep experience and awareness of the ways transit impacts the entire region.</p><p>"To the extent that the body has discretion like about timing or locations of services—it will be important to include people who represent and are accountable to the public, such as elected officials," she said via email. "The Board must include people who have expertise and/or experience with equity issues, including mitigation of displacement. The Board must also include people who have an understanding of the impacts on businesses, especially small businesses during construction phases."</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzE0NTU4NS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNTQ5NzA1OX0.AA-vfwvtLm4EUj0lU8-qmISE2AXq8kwsHDEx_38yxAQ/img.png?width=980" id="c9313" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9010d51792cf473048520423f0c9268c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Project Connect" />Project Connect aims to provide a better bus system for the Austin area.
(Capital Metro)Impact and equity
<p>Along with those questions, advocacy groups tied to transportation will continue to press the city and Cap Metro on issues such as equity and the financial impact of the likely property tax increase.</p><p>Yasmine Smith, vice-chair of People United for Mobility Action, said her group is waiting for data on the possible impacts —and how they can be limited—on lower-income communities located along some of the proposed light rail lines.</p><p>"There are lots of questions yet to be answered and yet to be fleshed out in order for us to ensure that this will not impact our most vulnerable community members," she said.<br></p><p>"It is hoped that the city adheres to their stated goals during the planning initiative ... it is going to be up to groups like PUMA to hold them accountable to what they have stated they will achieve, which is an evolution in mobility but one that does not continue the historic precedence of disenfranchising vulnerable populations."</p>From Your Site Articles
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(City of Austin)
A new street mural is going up on 11th Street in East Austin today reading, "Black Artists Matter," following an initial mural painted Tuesday on Congress Avenue reading "Black Austin Matters."
<p>Both murals were coordinated by Capitol View Arts and Austin Justice Coalition, with black artists getting paid for their work and dozens of volunteers.</p><p>"In a city where the black population is overlooked, our purpose through this mural is to show continued support and acknowledgment of black artists and their contribution to Austin's legacy and character," said Clifford Gillard, founder and president of Capitol View Arts, in a city press release. </p><p><br/></p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7f8a16f38046f156b16b98293e3c8a15" id="7e346"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0;
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</div></blockquote></div><p><br/></p><p>The location was selected because of its history as the heart of the African American community in East Austin, a historically black neighborhood.</p><p><br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img alt="Blueprint of mural design" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8960797a4e108878613b43bc3aa3039f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="811fa" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQwMTgxMy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMDU3Mjk2MX0.vj-SbnMd8I6dLxzj-HRiHbbHC4xUQ_pPdAhCIyDtV6Y/img.jpg?width=980"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Design for East Austin street mural.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">(City of Austin)</small></p><p><br/></p><p>The city of Austin will contract $55,000 with Capitol View Arts as a part of the Economic Development Department's Art in Public Places program. The funds will help local black artists affected by the pandemic.</p><p>Both locations of the murals will be closed through Sunday.</p>
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(Austin City Council)
Existing speed limits in Central Austin (left) and future, lower speed limits (right).
Austin drivers are going to have to start slowing down—and not just because there are more cars back on the road.
<p>The City Council approved a measure last week to lower the speed limits in neighborhoods and on certain streets near downtown in an effort to make the roads safer for drivers, bikers and pedestrians. Here's what the changes affect around the city.</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Neighborhoods: Streets approximately 36 feet in width or narrower and primarily residential will now have their speed limits lowered to 25 mph. </li><li>Major city streets: Most high-trafficked arterial streets in the area bounded by US 183, SH 71 and MoPac will now be 35 mph. </li><li>Downtown: Streets in the area surrounded by N. Lamar Blvd., Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, I-35, and Lady Bird Lake will be 25 mph. Guadalupe St., Lavaca St., MLK Jr. Blvd., 15th St., Cesar Chavez St., and Lamar Blvd. will be 30 mph.</li></ul><p>Residents can expect the new speed limit changes to be posted over the next few months, according to a city press release. As part of the effort to encourage drivers to travel at lower speeds, some roadways may be re-striped to create narrower lanes or add in bike lanes or designated parking areas. </p><p>The decision to lower the speed limits in these areas came after a year-long study by the city's transportation department that found speeding was the primary factor in a quarter of fatal crashes. </p>
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Austin City Council and CapMetro unanimously approve vision for Project Connect. Up next: financing.
10 June
(Capital Metro)
Austin City Council and the Capital Metro board unanimously approved a $9.8 billion, 30-year transit plan—Project Connect—that will add three light rail lines, new bus lines and park-and-rides to the Austin region.
<p>One board member, Williamson County representative Eric Stratton, voted "heck yeah" during a virtual meeting earlier today. </p><div id="eea76" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bb2e027461a522172f854af66a550bad"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1270840672678019072" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Now more than ever, Austin needs a transformative mobility plan and we finally have one – created and embraced by o… https://t.co/RHfiOnuaoI</div> — Mayor Adler (@Mayor Adler)<a href="https://twitter.com/MayorAdler/statuses/1270840672678019072">1591827002.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>With their greenlight, the plan is likely to go before voters in November. If passed, more than half of the project budget—$5.4 billion—would come from local taxpayers in the form of an increased city property tax rate. Federal grants would cover the rest.</p><p>Project Connect is the product of a 20-year discussion about expanding public transit in Austin. Previous efforts, including a 2014 transit bond that included light rail, have failed at the ballot. This plan appears to have more widespread community support.</p><p>The Sherry Matthews Group, a local marketing company, surveyed residents last month and found that 95% of respondents had a positive perception of Project Connect after learning more about the plan. Upon learning that property taxes would be a source of funding, 71% of respondents still supported the plan, which a representative for the group said was a surprising finding.</p>
<p>Although this plan has built up significant community and political goodwill, the coronavirus pandemic—and the economic recession it has caused—<a href="https://austonia.com/transportation/project-connect-austin-coronavirus" target="_self">poses a new challenge</a>. But supporters emphasized the plan's value to residents as an economic stimulus, mobility solution and response to climate change.</p><p>"This massive public works project will provide jobs and help rebuild Austin's economy when we finally emerge from this pandemic nightmare," transportation planning consultant and Austin resident Lyndon Henry said during the public comment portion of the meeting.</p><p>Project Connect also garnered support because of its promise of equity, including expanding service to East Austin and other underserved areas of the metro.</p><p>"We have to make equity a priority," Travis County Commissioner Jeff Travillion said. "We have to make sure those places that have not had development—have not had a transportation spine—we have to make sure that they are connected."</p><p>Jane Bradbury, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, said it was important for the plan to be "actively anti-racist rather than passively progressive," a comment that gained steam in further discussion among board members and council.</p>
<p>Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison, who has been part of leading the charge for police reform in the wake of recent protests, said the plan is critical for this reason.<br></p><p>"For the past 70 or so years, Austin has put all of its eggs in one basket," she said. "It's planned its famous growth around cars."</p><p>This effect of this is not only sprawl, pollution and traffic fatalities, she continued, but "an effective mandate that if you want to fully participate in our economy you have to have a driver's license, you have to be able to afford a car."</p><p>Project Connect, however, stands to improve the quality of life of those who depend on its services. "That means dignity for low-income residents who are disproportionately black and brown, seniors, young people, our differently abled neighbors and anyone else who doesn't drive," Harper-Madison said.</p><p>Not everyone supports the project, however. Yesterday, a group called Our Mobility, Our Future debuted a campaign in opposition to the plan, which its members say is too expensive and not modern enough.</p><p>Capital Metro board members and City Council continue to discuss how the project will be funded and governed.</p>
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