Defending Our Property Rights & Freedom to Travel
BETRAYAL: Kevin Wolff to reaffirm tolls on northside of SA

CALLS NEEDED ahead of resolution at Commissioners Court on Tuesday!

Commissioner Kevin Wolff to reaffirm tolls on northside via resolution, despite wave of new non-toll funding.
SAN ANTONIO RESIDENTS
Call Wolff NOW! 
Bexar County Commissioner Kevin Wolff is bringing a resolution to a vote on Tuesday, February 17 (see Item #69, on page 13 of the agenda) to reaffirm that he wants to impose toll taxes on his constituents along US 281 (from Loop 1604 to the county line), I-10 (from Loop 1604 to Boerne), and Loop 1604 (from Bandera Rd. to I-35 at The Forum) - dubbed the $825 million 'Super Toll Plan'
by WOAI radio. Wolff has promised to get funding to fix US 281 without tolls, now he is bringing a resolution to toll the whole northside when new funding is on the way?

URGENT ACTION STEP 
Call Kevin Wolff's office NOW
at (210) 335-2613.
(Calls are much more effective than email. Email info below).

Note: Today is a holiday and their offices are CLOSED (conveniently the day before this crucial vote). Don't be discouraged if you can't reach him right away. Leave a message, if the voicemail is full, PLEASE TRY AGAIN Tuesday morning until you reach him.

Urge him to pull down his resolution and use the new road money from Prop 1 (avg. $1 billion/yr) and the money coming shortly from the Texas Legislature (at least $1.2 billion from ending gas tax diversions, plus more from the vehicles sales tax) to fix these freeways without TOLLS!  

To send an email to Kevin Wolff, go here. 
 
SUSPICIOUS TIMING?  
SPREAD THE WORD! 
Nichols gets slammed on NEW web site

See why Robert Nichols, who Chairs Senate Transportation, is subject of new attacks

Sen. Robert Nichols' record is bad, not just on toll roads, but just about everything.
Sen. Robert Nichols is consistently voting against the taxpayers and transparency at state agencies.

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick tapped him to Chair Senate Transportation, but what can we expect from a guy with this bad of a record?
 
SCANDAL: TxDOT's $100 million toll collection contract blows up
a car standing on euro bills. costs for the purchase of automobiles, gasoline, insurance and other car costs BREAKING NEWS!

It's about time legislators exercise some oversight over this $100 million toll collection contract with Xerox. When 30,000 erroneous bills were falsely issued to legitimate Toll Tag customers with exorbitant fines and fees tacked on, the problem is bigger than anyone imagined! The Senate Transportation Committee grilled TxDOT and demanded weekly reports until the problems are fixed.

Toll roads are a FAILED policy from start to finish. 

Toll-free Texas Day at the Capitol 

Governor Greg Abbott will be joining us!

Governor Abbott has a plan to keep Texas toll-free. Plan to join us!
Good Guy Rep. Scott Sanford asked for our help to elevate the toll road issue statewide by hosting a Toll-free Texas Day at the Capitol.

We plan to have an exciting line-up of events, including hearing from Good Guy legislators about their bills (and how we can help get them passed), a press conference, and other activities to help us STOP tolls across Texas. We just learned Governor Abbott will be joining us! So you won't want to miss this important event to get us across the finish line.

Plan ahead by setting appointments with your State Rep. and State Senator that day so you can personally tell them the bills you want them to support (by FAR the MOST effective way to get reps on board with our legislation!).

Toll-free Texas Day
at the Capitol
Monday, March 23
Meet on the South Capitol Steps
9:00 AM
Texas Capitol
Austin, TX

We'll have t-shirts available to help spread the Toll-free Texas message as we walk the halls of the Capitol. If you plan to go and would like one, please let us know so we're sure to order enough. Suggested donation $15.

Parking & travel info
Parking is available for $8 at the public parking garage at 12th & San Jacinto. More parking is also available at 18th & Congress at the Texas History Museum for the same price.

For those traveling from out of town and don't wish to drive, Mega Bus has CHEAP bus fares to the Capitol. The most affordable hotel near the Capitol is the La Quinta at 300 E. 11th Street (cross street is San Jacinto).
SAN ANTONIO:
PUBLIC HEARING for I-35 toll project

Plan to attend and submit public comment 

podium_man.jpg TxDOT is holding an important public hearing on Thursday, February 26 to solicit public feedback on the proposed elevated toll 'managed lanes' on IH-35 from IH-410 to Schertz.

If you don't want to pay 50 cents a mile to travel on this vital interstate, show-up and BE HEARD! Even if you never take the toll road, your tax money will build it and bail it out and trucks will pass their toll costs onto YOU through a higher cost of goods. The current MPO plan has I-35 marked for a public private partnership. Cintra is already heavily lobbying to snag this vital interstate - the biggest FREE competition near its failing SH 130 tollway  - allowing Cintra to control all routes north-south in Central Texas!

PUBLIC HEARING
I-35 Toll Project
Thurs., February 26
5:00 PM
Morgan's Wonderland
5223 David Edward Drive
San Antonio, TX 78233

CAN YOU VOLUNTEER?
We need folks to help staff our table and pass out educational fliers to attendees. We also take email sign-ups and help direct folks to where they can offer comment (publicly at the microphone or to a court reporter/transcriber privately).

If you would like to help, please contact Sudie Sartor at sudiesartor@yahoo.com or (210) 488-5412.

Next TURF Meeting 

February meeting moved to March 

fancy-fork.jpg
DATE CHANGE: Due to the I-35 toll project public hearing scheduled on our regular meeting night, Feb. 26, we have postponed our meeting to the following the Thursday to encourage you to attend the I-35 hearing.  


TURF Meeting
Thurs., March 5    
Chester's Hamburgers 
16699 San Pedro 
San Antonio, TX 
(Off US 281 at Thousand Oaks/Mecca exit) 
6:00 PM
(Order dinner on your own) 
6:30 PM
Meeting begins

NOTE: We'll also have our regularly scheduled meeting on the 4th Thursday of the month - Thurs., Mar. 26.  
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typical toll booth located on i-75 in southwest florida
Transportation Committees key to needed reforms 
BOOK REVIEW -
Merger of the Century: Why Canada and America should become one country
By Diane Francis
HEADLINES...
la-traffic-cars.jpg
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Abbott taps former lawmaker, big donor for new Transportation Commission appointees

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TxDOT spends millions on tuition reimbursements
Much of it to a private not public university!
   
  Read more...
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Texas Transportation Reform: Fiscal responsibility FIRST  
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Tolls impede the American spirit of the open road  
  
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DONATE TODAY
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The 84th legislative session is underway and our work kicks into high gear. It requires frequent travel to Austin to meet with lawmakers, testify in vital committee hearings, provide bill analysis for legislators, and get our reform bills PASSED!

A gift of any amount, $10, $20, or more is most appreciated, but we're also in need of ongoing monthly contributions earmarked for the six months of the legislative session. If you're interested, please contact Sudie Sartor here.

We need the resources to STOP tolls on existing roads & to get pro-taxpayer transportation policies and reforms in place.
 
With HUNDREDS of toll projects planned in Texas, EVERYONE will be effected by these NEW taxes!

Or send in a check to:
Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom (or TURF)
PO Box 29254
San Antonio, TX 78229-0254
"I...place economy among the first and most important of republican virtues, and public debt as the greatest of the dangers to be feared... Taxation follows that, and in its turn wretchedness and oppression."
--Thomas Jefferson,
Letter to William Plumer, 1816
© 2015 Texans Uniting for Reform & Freedom