Austin officials and several other agencies on Wednesday provided an update on the progress of Project Connection, but also spoke out about lawsuits facing the initiative.
On Monday, a group of residents filed a lawsuit accusing the City of Austin of illegally collecting taxpayer funds to fund mass transit expansion and other measures.
But in delivering a progress report on the project two days later, officials stressed the plan’s popular support.
“Voters overwhelmingly voted for Project Connection in 2020. We did a survey last year that showed exactly the same number of people still support it,” said Bill McCamley, executive director of Transit Forward.
The meeting was attended by Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and executives from Cap Metro and the Austin Transportation Association, the organization responsible for the design, construction and operation of the future bus, rail and housing network that promises to improve the quality of life in the region.
“It’s not just trains that will connect people. Those new light rail lines are connecting to new bus lines. It’s about how you put those pieces together so everyone can get around more efficiently and more economically,” McCamley said.
Watson explained that “we are using this opportunity even beyond transportation, as part of our efforts to change, modernize and update the economic development paradigm in this community.”
However, the councilman had to defend the project from a lawsuit alleging the city is violating the law by levying taxes for a different version than the one approved by voters in 2020. According to Watson, the delay tactic isn’t working: “We were ready for our day in court when there was an effort to prevent that appearance, which shows you that this is a delay. Some people have shown their ability to delay court cases, but let me, I also want to say something: This is continuing to move forward the way we are because the public said this is what we want.”
Last March, Attorney General Ken Paxton also filed a lawsuit against the proposal.
Despite the legal dispute that the project has generated, the agencies involved agreed that they have always been available to clarify doubts and act with transparency.
“The people behind me at this podium have been absolutely willing to speak at any time, in any place and to answer any question that comes their way, to be transparent and honest. And that’s the kind of process that needs to happen,” McCamley said.
The mayor said that the Federal Transit Administration and the Department of Transportation have expressed their satisfaction with the development of the plan, which they hope to have completed by 2033 if everything proceeds according to schedule.
