Put the nail in the coffin of Lone Star Rail Monday

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Sign the petition to STOP the Cibolo Toll Road

Two more public hearings before it goes to a vote!


	Public Werks is proposing a 7-mile private toll road monopoly & they've hired big guns to sell it to the public.

SIGN THE PETITION

The Top 5 Reasons to say 'No' to the Cibolo Parkway toll road proposed by a private, for-profit toll company:

1) Forcibly takes private property from Cibolo residents (through the city or TxDOT's use of eminent domain) and hands it to a private, for-profit toll corporation.

2) Will NOT alleviate congestion. Toll roads do not solve congestion, they exploit congestion for profit.

3) A private toll road gives a government-sanctioned monopoly to a single private company for decades, which means you'll pay dearly for the privilege of using it.

Don't be fooled by the teaser toll rates floating around. The average toll road user in Houston and Dallas pays upwards of $200 a month! On the low end of the spectrum, paying a $.25 per mile toll is like adding $5.00 to every gallon of gas you buy. This project is not financially feasible. It can't possibly pay for itself with just the toll users from a small suburb of San Antonio when not a single project inside San Antonio with nearly 2 million people is toll viable!

In fact, the PR firm, Delisi Communications headed by Deidre Delisi, former Chairwoman of the Transportation Commission that governs TxDOT, testified before the legislature in 2008 that there are no more toll viable roads left in Texas. Now she's been hired by John Crew and Public Werks to claim otherwise as Crew hopes to profit off her connections.

These public private partnerships always find a way to put the taxpayers on the hook for the company's potential losses. Buyer beware! If it sounds too good to be true, it's because it is!

4) Private toll contracts contain non-compete clauses that penalize or prohibit the expansion of free routes that surround the private tollway for decades.

5) Tolls would unnecessarily tax Cibolo residents to get to and from their jobs and make Cibolo a less attractive place to live, devaluing your property.

BACKGROUND

John Crew and his group of investors known as the Texas Turnpike Corporation/Public Werks plan to build a toll connector from FM 1103 to I-10 in Cibolo, Texas. Our supporters remember Crew as the guy Texans chased out of East Dallas when he tried to build the Blacklands Tollway from Garland to Greenville. His company had the power of eminent domain then. We stripped it from him last session, but he's back to do some more damage. While Crew's company cannot directly take the land using eminent domain, he's allowed to have TxDOT do his dirty work for him.

It's still eminent domain for private gain and Texans should NOT tolerate it!

PUBLIC HEARINGS
Proposed Cibolo Parkway Toll Project

Tues., August 23

Tues., September 27

Cibolo Municipal Building

200 South Main Street

Cibolo TX, 78108

All meetings will begin 6:30 PM at the regular City Council Meeting.

Give feedback to the Cibolo City Council here.

Tell them you want TxDOT to use some of the $5 billion in NEW money voters gave them to address congestion without new taxes and fees!

SIGN THE PETITION HERE.

Spread the word, post it on social media!

ALL HANDS ON DECK!

Board to vote to KILL Lone Star Rail

Need folks to attend Monday to ensure they do!

City of Phoenix Downtown Light Metro Rail Tram Arizona

Forbes magazine says Austin's Cap Metro light rail is the worst in the nation! Other light rail systems across Texas don't fare much better based on Forbes' analysis.

It works out that every transit user gets a $9,000 per year subsidy! You could buy every transit rider their own vehicle for what it costs taxpayers to keep these rail boondoggles going!

Let's not keep adding to the money pit by building Lone Star Rail, too! The Austin MPO, Capital Area MPO or CAMPO, meets Monday to vote to pull the plug on this boondoggle. Union Pacific pulled out of the deal saying it wasn't financially feasible, so it's past time elected officials put an end to the waste and pull the plug on any further 'study' of the matter. They've already spent $23 million 'studying' it.


	Bexar County Commissioner Kevin Wolff was arrested for DWI Sunday.

For Bexar County residents, it's worth noting that Commissioner Kevin Wolff has pushed to keep wasting millions more to finish the 'study' of a project that's already been determined to not be feasible. Austin's MPO has said it won't put any more money into it and that San Antonio has to pony-up the bucks if the environmental study is to move forward. So that's Bexar County taxpayers paying for the boondoggle next! Wolff has an opponent in November and Wolff just got arrested for a DWI over the weekend. His judgment seems to be impaired on multiple fronts!

So ALL HANDS ON DECK in Austin Monday night. If enough bodies show up to oppose Lone Star Rail, we might actually succeed in sparing taxpayers another money pit rail project!

Vote to END Lone Star Rail

CAMPO Meeting

Monday, August 8

Joe C. Thompson Center, Room 3.102

University of Texas Campus

Red River & Dean Keeton Streets

Austin, Texas

6:00 PM

AGENDA ITEM #8 - To remove Lone Star Rail from the transportation plan! Sign-up to speak for this agenda item and say 'No!' to keeping this project that is NOT financially feasible or workable in the plan.

Sign-up to speak or donate your time to others. Both Vince May and Craig Young could use the time!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

You won't want to miss these events!

As if Texans don't have enough to contend with -- high speed rail between Houston and Dallas, high speed rail between Ft. Worth and Dallas, passenger rail between Austin and San Antonio -- the Texas Oklahoma Passenger Rail plan is back and the draft environmental study is done, with potential routes determined. The public MUST SHOW UP and get their comments in opposition on the official record.

Texas-Oklahoma Passenger Rail Public Hearing

Thursday, August 11 , 2016

616 Six Flags Drive

Arlington, TX

Open House 5:30 PM

Presentation 6:00 PM

The purpose of the hearing is to present the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Texas-Oklahoma Passenger Rail Study (TOPRS) and to receive public comment.

The Texas-Oklahoma Passenger Rail Study is a planning-level study to determine the feasibility of developing passenger rail service in an 850-mile corridor running from Oklahoma City, Okla, to South Texas. The study looked at a range of options, from Amtrak-style heavy rail to true high-speed rail service.

The study area was broken down into three segments: a northern segment from Oklahoma City to Dallas/Fort Worth; a central segment running from Dallas/Fort Worth to San Antonio; and a southern section from San Antonio to South Texas.

As part of this study, proposed routes were developed to determine construction, operation and maintenance costs and revenue estimates for each segment.

The DEIS and other information relative to the study are on file and available for inspection Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the North Central Texas Council of Governments office, 616 Six Flags Dr., Arlington, TX.

ACTION ITEM
Submit public comments to mwerner@txdot.gov by

Monday, August 29, 2016 in order to be part of the official record.

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Our friends at Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance with be hosting its

10th Annual Farm and Food Leadership Conference.

This unique event focuses on the policies and regulations affecting our independent family farms and our local food system. It brings together a diverse group of people - including farmers and ranchers, activists, nonprofit leaders, sustainable businesses, and consumers - who care about where our food comes from.

The conference features:

* In-depth pre-conference workshops to help farmers and producers with practical solutions

* How to form a successful co-op, food safety for produce growers, and productive and profitable eco-farming (both livestock and crops).

* Top speakers on a variety of topics including nutrition, sustainable sourcing at restaurants and retailers, food waste, water policy, farm support programs, GMOs, food freedom, and more.

* Keynote speaker Dr. John Ikerd, farmer, economics professor, author, and a leading speaker in the sustainability revolution.

* Networking with individuals and businesses who care about our local farms and food.

* Lunches prepared by nationally acclaimed chef Jesse Griffiths of Dai Due.

Farm & Food Leadership Conference

Sept. 25-27, 2016

Bastrop, Texas

Early bird registration is currently open through August 25! After that, the fees will go up.

Registration for the pre-conference workshops is separate from the main conference registration. Discounted registration is available for students, seniors (60 and over), and supporter/sustaining FARFA members. There also are opportunities for scholarships and reduced fees for volunteers.

To read more about the conference, including how to register and information on the topics and speakers, please visit their web site.

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SAVE-THE-DATE

Next Texans for Toll-free Highways Meeting will be Thursday, September 22. You won't want to miss it!

HEADLINES...

Panama Canal expansion to strain Texas roads

Read Terri's exclusive here!

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Katy Toll Lanes made congestion worse, not better!