File photo
File photo
The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) met April 13 to discuss cutting $600 million from transportation projects to put toward its Interstate 35 Capital Express project.
The central segment of the I-35 project will cost $7.5 billion and cutting funds from planned transportation projects could help supply money for the I-35 Capital Express, according to Austin Monitor.
The Capital Express project would add three non-tolled lanes to Interstate 35 for both directions from State Highway 45 North to State Highway 45 Southeast, according to the Austin Monitor. Texas already has committed to funding one north and one south segment of the interstate.
Cynthia Long, CAMPO board chairwoman, said the board will likely decide whether or not to cut funds.
“It certainly is not my choice, or I think anybody’s choice, to have to make these decisions in the short time frame that we have, but we are there,” Long said.
Save Our Springs Alliance representative Bobby Levinski said the way in which the board gave notice to the public of the discussion of cutting funds violated the Texas Open Meetings Act, according to Austin Monitor. The board should have given notice to the public on either the organization's website or on each county clerk website.
“Neither requirement was met in this case,” Levinski said. “For illustration, as of this morning, Bastrop County still had the original agenda posted.”
CAMPO Executive Director Ashby Johnson said the agenda had been sent out to the office of the secretary of the state on Thursday afternoon and it was sent to each county clerk afterwards, according to Austin Monitor. The agenda reached the county clerk offices within the 72-hour notice window, which means the board does have the legal authority to discuss the funds and take action on Monday, according to CAMPO legal counsel Tim Tuggey.
Even though CAMPO did get the agenda to the county clerk's offices on time, Austin Mayor Steve Adler said CAMPO was lacking transparency, according to Austin Monitor.
“We’re about to make decisions with respect to many hundreds of millions of dollars and we’re making a decision that doesn’t seem to be based on any kind of objective criteria,” Adler told Austin Monitor. “I’m concerned that there are projects on this list that I think would score in the bottom 10% of projects in the region but yet they’re being pushed to the top and are going to get funded.”
The project may be a painful process, but Long said it will be worth it in the end.
“This is a painful process for everyone, but I think it’s important to keep our eye on the big picture,” she said.
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