Austin, TX
Texas AG Paxton asks judge to reject Austin’s plans to finance Project Connect improvements
The Republican attorney general is asking a Travis County judge to reject the city of Austin’s plans to issue bonds to fund Project Connect improvements, including the light-rail system.
A Travis County judge on Monday set a trial date to hear arguments in a pending bond validation lawsuit centered on the proposed financing plan for Project Connect, setting a stage where the future of the city of Austin’s $7.1 billion public transportation investment could be at stake.
A bond validation lawsuit seeks to confirm the validity of municipal bonds issued by a government entity. The trial will be the culmination of the lawsuit attorneys representing the Austin Transit Partnership, the city’s light-rail planning agency, filed in February.
The trial is set for May 28 through 30, according to a memo sent to Austin Transit Partnership board members Monday.
In a 11-page petition filed Friday afternoon, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton weighed in on the pending lawsuit, claiming neither the city nor Austin Transit Partnership can issue bonds to build the planned improvements, including the centerpiece light-rail system. The Republican attorney general asked the judge to dismiss the city’s request to affirm the bonds.
Voters approved Project Connect in 2020 by a more than 15 percentage-point margin, raising the ad valorem property tax rate by 8.75 cents — an increase to the city’s property tax rate by more than 20%. The new tax would go toward transforming the city’s transit map with a new light-rail system, high-frequency bus routes and other improvements.
The investment’s most costly element is the light-rail system. A finance plan published last summer estimated the initial system would cost between $4.5 billion and $5.1 billion. Current plans rely on the new property tax and at least a 50% match in grant funding from the Federal Transit Administration.
The light-rail plans have undergone a number of changes since 2020. Last summer, the Austin City Council and transit officials approved a downsized version of the initial buildout: a 9.8-mile line stretching north, south and east of downtown Austin but stopping short of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and Crestview Station, where it could intersect with Capital Metro’s commuter rail line between Leander and downtown Austin.
In the memo to board members Monday, Casey Burack, an Austin Transit Partnership executive over business and legal affairs, said the light-rail planning agency was “confident in our position” and characterized the attorney general’s motion as an “attempt to deprive” the agency and the city of due process.
The city disagrees with the “AG’s assertions” and was “certain the court will allow the City and ATP time to file responses,” said Shelley Parks, a city spokesperson, in a statement.
Supporters of Project Connect say the legal challenges by critics are attempts to subvert the will of voters and undo efforts to expand public transportation. Opponents say the financing model is faulty and the current light-rail plan no longer reflects what voters were shown prior to casting a ballot in November 2020.
The bond validation lawsuit was consolidated with one filed by critics of Project Connect last fall. In a statement Friday, attorney Bill Aleshire, a former Travis County judge and tax assessor/collector who is representing the plaintiffs, marked the attorney general’s filing as “the beginning of the end of the biggest con job ever perpetrated on the taxpayers of Austin.”
“If Austin ‘leaders’ want mass transit in Austin, they should immediately stop Project Connect, cancel the illegal tax increase, and go back to the voters with an affordable plan, with an honest price tag, and see if voters will authorize bonds, i.e., the legal way taxpayer debt is incurred,” Aleshire said in the statement.
Among the plaintiffs represented by Aleshire is Dirty Martin’s Place, a longtime burger restaurant near the University of Texas campus. More than two years ago, light-rail planners informed the owner that the property may need to be seized because the new light-rail line would run through it, according to records obtained by the Statesman.
However, last month, the Austin Transit Partnership announced it no longer intended to seize some private property along Guadalupe Street between 27th and 29th streets for the proposed line, including the property where Dirty Martin’s Place sits. Despite this change, the owner, Mark Nemir, said he planned to continue pursuing the lawsuit.
Project Connect has faced scrutiny from state officials before. Last summer, state lawmakers took aim at the city’s finance model with proposed legislation, but those bills died during the session. Speaking to the Statesman last fall, state Rep. Ellen Troxclair, R-Lakeway, said the city’s finance model is illegal and vowed to propose similar legislation next session.
A Paxton-issued legal opinion at the time, which informed some of the proposed legislation, said the city made “mistakes” and “misstatements to the voters.” Parts of the attorney general’s Friday filing echo its previous opinion.
Bonds are a key part of Project Connect’s current financing plan. In seeking the matching federal grant funds, the Austin Transit Partnership concluded a series of required open house events last month as part of a federal environmental review for the 9.8-mile system. Construction of the line could stretch into the 2030s.
AUSTIN, Texas – Central Texans gather to celebrate Juneteenth or “Freedom Day” on June 19 and commemorate the end of slavery.
What you can do:
The Greater East Austin Youth Association (GEAYA) is hosting the Central Texas Juneteenth Parade and Festival today (6/19).
It’s free and taking place at Rosewood Park in East Austin located at 2300 Rosewood Ave.
The schedule for the events is as follows:
- ACME Juneteenth FunRun – 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
- Juneteenth Historical Parade – 10 AM – 12 PM
- Park Celebration and Fireworks – 12 PM – 9:45 PM
Other events
On June 20, the Carver Kickback: Juneteenth Edition will be taking place 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural, and Genealogy Center located at 1165 Angelina Street.
It will be a day of celebration and remembrance and there will be BBQ plates and music as well as vendors and hands-on activations.
The backstory:
Juneteenth commemorates the end of formal slavery in Texas on June 19, 1865, two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, and more than one month following the end of the American Civil War.
Colloquially known as “The Black 4th of July,” Juneteenth marks the beginning of an African American journey to carve a new place in society for free people to shape identities independent of racial caricature, eradicate slave culture, promote ethnic pride, and create economic prosperity.
The Source: Information from City of Austin and Greater East Austin Youth Association and reporting by Jessica Rivera.
Juneteenth celebrations are happening across the city this weekend. The events will mark the 161st anniversary of the day Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay to announce that more than 250,000 enslaved people in Texas were free. The announcement on June 19, 1865, came more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. June 19 — known as Juneteenth — became a federal holiday in 2021.
From historical bike rides to Austin’s annual parade, here are seven events taking place in Austin.
Annual Juneteenth FunRun, June 19
The city of Austin’s African American Cultural and Heritage Facility will host a fun run starting at 8:30 a.m. on Friday at East Martin Luther King Jr. Street and Leona Street, and concluding at Hargrave Street near the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex. Participants will have one hour to complete the course. The route is the same as the parade through the African American Historical Cultural District that will start later that morning. Runners and walkers of all ages and levels can participate.
Central Texas Juneteenth Parade & Festival, June 19
The annual Juneteenth parade will take place Friday and begin at 10 a.m. at East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Leona Street and will travel down to Chicon Street before turning on Rosewood Avenue. The parade will feature floats, live music and performers.
A Very Juneteenth Comedy Jam, June 19
The Velveeta Room, Austin’s longest-running comedy club, will have shows highlighting Black voices Friday night at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. The 18+ event will feature comedians like Freddy Do Less and Roderick McDaniel. Tickets for both shows are around $23.
Sistas Walk And Talk: Juneteenth Edition, June 20
Texas Sistas Society will host a 3-mile walk and talk Saturday at 515 S. Pleasant Valley Road starting at 7:45 a.m. Texas Sistas Society is an Austin-based community created for Black women and women of color. Attendees are encouraged to wear Juneteenth colors: red, yellow, green or black, and to RSVP ahead of time.
The Carver Kickback: Juneteenth Edition, June 20
The George Washington Carver Museum in Austin is dedicated to creating a “space where the global contributions of all Black people are celebrated.” The museum is hosting a free celebration from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday with barbecue plates, live music, vendors and activities for all ages.
Black Auteur Film Festival, June 20
The Black Auteur Film Festival, a nonprofit dedicated to uplifting Black filmmakers in Texas, is hosting its third annual film festival to showcase short films directed by Black Texans at AFS Cinema on Saturday. One filmmaker will win the $1,000 “Best of Fest” award, and attendees can enter a raffle for a chance to win Austin Film Society memberships and movie tickets. The festival runs from 2 to 5 p.m. Tickets are $14.
Juneteenth Social Ride, June 21
Black History Bike Ride, an Austin nonprofit teaching people about the city’s Black history through cycling, is hosting its seventh annual Juneteenth ride starting at the Haskell House on Saturday at 10 a.m. Austin-based historian Harrison Eppright will serve as the ride’s guide. Registration is required for all attendees. The event is free, but donations are encouraged.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Data analyst Corey Yeung created the ATX Running Guide to help runners find community across Central Texas. What started as a personal project has become one of Austin’s most comprehensive running resources.
Looking for a Run Club? There’s a Map for That
When Corey Yeung moved to Austin three years ago, he had a simple question:
“How many run clubs are actually out there?” The answer wasn’t easy to find. While several websites listed local groups, Yeung felt none offered a complete picture. So, he decided to build one himself. What started as a spreadsheet evolved into ATX Running Guide, a website and social media platform that helps runners discover clubs throughout the Austin area.
“The list would be more useful if it were a map and search tool,” Yeung said. “The Instagram page was simply a way to communicate those free resources to the community.”
Today, the guide covers running groups from San Marcos to Hutto and serves as a one-stop resource for runners looking to connect. In this episode of KXAN’S Plus Simple Health, Corey Yeung walks us through everything you need to know about the 200-plus running clubs in Austin.
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