Houston's Referendums on Metro and Bayous Park/Trail Expansion

[urbanaturalist]

Recent News Account of Metro Referendum..

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/video?id...26&pid=8857556



OPINION AGAINST The METRO REFERENDUM....that is for light rail...

http://www.chron.com/opinion/outlook...#photo-3551472

Vote against Metro referendum could mean more railBy George F. Smalley | Friday, October 5, 2012 | Updated: Friday, October 5, 2012 8:49pm

The political muscle and money of the Houston region overwhelmingly favor passage of the Metro Referendum next month. If it does pass, the real losers will be the next generation of Houstonians who will live in a world-class city in every respect but one: effective public transportation.

The Houston region has been playing catch-up for years on mass transit, with the last major breakthrough in 2003. That's when voters approved a highly ambitious plan that included five new light rail lines that would connect to the first light rail line on Main Street, which began service in early 2004.

Three of the five new rail lines are about half finished; that's the good news. But the most important was to be the major east-west trunk line known as University. The University Line, you may recall, became snarled in controversy over whether part of it should run on Richmond Avenue. If voters approve the referendum, the University Line will be shelved for at least 10 years and probably longer.

The loss of this key infrastructure of an inside-the-loop collector-distributor light rail system - and its adjacent spur, the Uptown Line on Post Oak Boulevard - would doom effective mass transit anytime soon. The University and Uptown Lines would connect two major employment centers - Greenway Plaza and the Galleria - with downtown, the Texas Medical Center and multiple universities and neighborhoods. This light rail system is what would enable commuters in Missouri City, for example, to ride a future commuter rail line to the Medical Center and then transfer to light rail to reach their jobs in the Galleria.

What's more, significant amounts of time and treasure have been spent on preliminary engineering, environmental studies and real estate evaluations for the University Line. It is highly unlikely that any meaningful portion of this work could be salvaged if and when the University Line is resuscitated.

So the harsh reality is that the majority who voted in favor of this light rail system in 2003 may not see it.

http://www.chron.com/opinion/outlook...on-3903872.php

The greening of HoustonBy Ed Wulfe | Friday, September 28, 2012 | Updated: Sunday, September 30, 2012 3:33pm

The Bayou Greenway Initiative is a bold and visionary plan to complete parks and trails along the 10 bayous that cross our city, creating an iconic park system that will redefine Houston. More than 20 different organizations have spent nearly $2.4 billion in crafting half the system within the city limits thus far. This November however, with meaningful support from the city, Mayor Annise Parker and you, a parks bond will help connect all these parks and all of these trails into one united and comprehensive system.

Over the past several months, multiple organizations dedicated to Houston's Bayou Greenway Initiative and a new organization, ParksByYou, have been uniting parks and bayou enthusiasts. Their work aims to mobilize all of us to vote "yes" for Proposition B on the ballot, a parks bond referendum that will pump $166 million into our parks and bayou properties - all of it targeted at real construction and capital improvements. While $66 million will be used to make critical improvements to existing neighborhood parks all across the city, $100 million of those funds will be matched with private dollars to finally close the gaps along our bayou system and create continuous parks and trails. In less than a decade, with these bond dollars, Houston will have more than 150 miles of trails and a park system like no other in America. Our bayous are Houston's unique natural feature and will be improved, enhanced and expanded, rather than paved and neglected as in the past. Proposition B is a way to create parks and green space for all of us to experience and enjoy with no increase in taxes.

Our bayous meander through almost every neighborhood, and by building a system of connected linear parks along their banks, we will ensure that a majority of Houstonians will have access to green space within just a few miles of work or school or home. It's been shown that regular physical activity reduces the risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and other diseases, and there is strong evidence showing that people exercise more when they have convenient access to parks and recreational opportunities. A vote for the parks bond will contribute to the overall health of Houston's population while simultaneously enhancing our quality of life.

Parks along our bayous will inspire and energize economic development, increase property values, improve flood control and help manage water quality. The desirability of property located near parks and green space is high because people are attracted to inviting and pleasurable places to play and exercise, resulting in stronger and more active neighborhoods with appealing places for people of all ages.

Parks are transformational and will strengthen our ability to attract employers and employees to our area, and will serve to help encourage and retain a talented workforce. Houston has long been known as a city of opportunity and a good place to work in a diverse and open society. But today, we are competing with many other cities in the U.S. and abroad for businesses seeking to relocate, and our future economic health depends on our ability to continue developing as a city where people want to work and live. Talented young professionals strongly consider quality of life when choosing where to settle, and access to parks is a vitally important element in the quality-of-life equation. The Bayou Greenways project with its linear park concept supported by Proposition B will give Houston the nation's largest system of accessible recreational trails, and strengthen our advantage in the national and international competition for the workforce of the future.

The parks referendum, Proposition B on the ballot, is one of five city of Houston measures we will be asked to consider on Nov. 6. At the bottom of the ballot, after making our choices for the president, the Congress, state and local representatives, and judges, we will be able to vote for parks. The other four referenda will allow us all to approve libraries, police and fire stations, and recycling centers. Remarkably, the city bonds will not require a property tax increase, and every single measure will make our lives better, healthier and fun. By voting yes for every one of these proposals, you'll be voting YES for Houston's future.

[Talbot]

I voted against the Metro referendum, and it really disappointed me to see Mayor Parker and Metro support that foolery.

[Son of Dad]

why in particular are you against it? just curious.

[urbanaturalist]

Originally Posted by Son of Dad

why in particular are you against it? just curious.

The irony is that a vote "FOR" this, which actually won last night, does HELP METRO.........................................but this is the kicker, you ready.............

IT PREVENTS METRO FROM FUNDING ANY AND ALL FUTURE LIGHT RAIL PROJECTS UNTIL THE YEAR 2025..unless it's another source of funding....Check the map below, Houston is already constructing the Red Line extension to the North, Green Line to the East, and the Purple Line to the Southeast...........however, it is the Blue Line called the University Line, and the Yellow Line out West connected to it, that won't be getting any type of funding until 2025, so that is essentially what was lost last night.

METRO referendum gets voters' OK
Tuesday, November 06, 2012

Tuesday, November 06, 2012

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Eyewitness News is projecting that voters will approve METRO's General Mobility Program Referendum.

he new deal continues to give Houston, Harris County and 14 smaller cities 25 percent of whatever METRO collects in taxes in 2014. That money always goes to surrounding communities to build roads.

But here's the change that voters approved: If the economy improves and METRO collects more taxes, the agency can keep half of the growth, something it doesn't do now. This extra money for METRO will go to buy buses and shelters.

However, none of the money the agency may collect in the future will go to fund its light rail until at least 2025.

Also, this new deal ultimately will cost the city of Houston $162 million over the next 11 years, but Mayor Annise Parker says she's OK with that.

"Even though this slightly affects ReBuild Houston's funding, METRO's contributions to that program are not enough to outweigh the need to have a strong and secure regional transit system," Parker told Eyewitness News in August.

http://www.chron.com/news/politics/a...an-4014412.php

Voters extend Metro's tax-sharing plan
By Monica Rhor | November 6, 2012 | Updated: November 6, 2012 10:52pm

A referendum authorizing the Metropolitan Transit Authority to continue diverting part of its sales tax revenues for road projects passed by a wide margin Tuesday.

Voters in Metro's service area extended through 2025 the general mobility program, which allows a fourth of Metro's 1 percent sales tax collections to be shared with the city, county and 14 small cities for road, bridge, sidewalk and other non-transit projects. This year, the sales tax generated $141 million.

The measure approved by voters allows Metro to keep more of the cash for transit than it does under the current funding formula. Instead of keeping 75 percent of sales tax collections, it will keep as much as 81 percent. By 2025, when the program again will be up for reauthorization, that could net Metro an extra $400 million - money that can be spent on bus service and to pay down debt, but not for rail.

"People really came together for road building and bus service from different factions," said Metro board chairman Gilbert Garcia.

He said voters recognized the need to improve roads and to expand transit, including rail service. Metro is building three new light rail lines but the fate of two others approved by voters in 2003 is uncertain.

"You bet we are going to look at the next step for rail," Garcia said.

Reducing debt

Garcia said extending the mobility plan gives Metro a chance to reduce debt and increase bus service while laying the groundwork for more light rail.

"But before we take that next step on rail, we need to bring down our debt," Garcia said.

Mayor Annise Parker said the referendum will help restore a balance between light rail and other transportation services.

"We have been cannibalizing the bus system in order to support the light rail lines," Parker said. "The workhorse of any transit system is a robust, flexible bus system."

Opponents of the measure argued that its passage could put a halt to rail projects, possibly for decades.

The next time Metro could use local money for rail would be 2024, said David Crossley, president of Houston Tomorrow, a nonprofit organization that has led opposition to the Metro proposition.

As the population in the unincorporated area increases, Harris County eventually will control most seats on the board, making it unlikely city-centric rail service would ever grow, he said.

"There is nothing we can do about it," Crossley said at a results watching party.

If the referendum had failed, the general mobility program would have ended, allowing Metro to keep all its sales tax collections. That would have meant $2.5 billion more for Metro than if general mobility continued unchanged.

Crossley had argued that passage of the referendum would have allowed Metro to do all of what Garcia pledges and still have money left over for rail projects such as the planned University line.

Skipped over

A large number of voters skipped the referendum on the ballot, indicating that confusion may have played a role in the outcome.

"I think if you asked 100 people what the referendum meant, you would find confusion on the part of 90 of them," said former Metro chairman David Wolff.

Many people probably believed voting "yes" would help Metro expand transit, though a "no" vote would have given the agency more money, he said.

Metro officials backed the plan in order to keep suburban opponents of rail appeased, Wolff said, adding, "I feel like they had a gun to their head."

This ballot was written to be confusing more or less......voting AGAINST THE RERENDUM would have allowed Metro to help fund light rail, by having better control over the purse things......even the radio ads FOR THE REFERENDUM had the view that you were supporting METRO, but they never mentioned light rail in those ads, and hence people who probably figured it light rail was included were left confused and now light rail expansion in Houston like this map suggest won't be funded for over decade unless another source of funding is found........