| Austin Toll Roads to fund Williamson County Freeways. Austin Toll Roads to fund Williamson County Freeways.
Travis County Commissioners, Judge Sam Biscoe and Gerald Daugherty are asking that Travis County citizens be able to vote on a plan that tolls our Austin's freeways.
Of course we should be able to vote on these freeway tolls. Traditional toll roads in our country have been whole new route's designed and built as toll roads and the money collected funds the road you drive on.
Austin's toll plan privatizes and tolls our freeways and the money collected goes into a slush fund, since the roads are already paid for.
The opposition of allowing us to vote on tolls comes from Williamson County officials. Williamson County will syphon toll tax dollars from Travis County citizens for the benefit of Williamson County freeways.
There are a host of disturbing inequities for Austin and Travis County: For two years Travis County has been told, by the powers that be, that we must toll our freeways because there is no more money for free roads. Yet somehow, over the same two years, Williamson County has been given numerous free roads, without toll booths. Amazing.
The toll plan has 100% of the tolls on current freeways placed in Travis County. 0% of Williamson County�€™s current freeway's will have tolls on them. Zero.
It gets more absurd. Even though Travis County has three times the population than Williamson County, the majority of the toll authority board is made up of Williamson County people. Four of the seven are from Williamson County. The enabling legislation for the freeway tolling authority, a whole new layer of bureaucracy was created by Williamson County's Mike Krusee. And of course, the executive director of the toll authority is Williamson County's Mike Heiligenstein.
Before he was executive director, Mike Heiligenstein was a Williamson County Commissioner who focused on getting more freeway built for Williamson County. Heiligenstein voted to create the toll authority. Heiligenstein also named and voted for the Williamson folks who he wanted as toll authority board members.
Those board members Heiligenstein selected - later thanked Heiligenstein by hiring him for the $130,000 a year plus perks executive director position.
The Comptroller's report found these same board members giving No Bid �€œgas tax dollar�€ contracts to themselves and their friends. In 2005 Comptroller demanded that chairman Robert Tesch and board member Johanna Zmud resign because of conflicts of interests. A year has passed and the two board members continue to refused to resign. (»www.window.state.tx.us/news/50309ctrma.html) The Comptroller's in-depth investigative report calls the toll plan �€œDouble Taxation without Accountability�€ (»www.window.state.tx.us/specialrpt/ctrma05/).
Records show, Mike Heiligenstein was divorced by his wife Anne in 2004, and she filed papers in Williamson County to garnish Heiligenstein's toll authority (CTRMA) wages for child support. If Heiligenstein can't be trusted to give money to his own kid's he'll have no problem funneling Travis toll tax dollars for free roads in Williamson County.
Since the Austin roads are already paid for, the toll revenue collected will go into a slush fund the Williamson County toll authority controls. Revenue collected in Travis County will be controlled and spent by those in Williamson County.
All the blame does not lie with the Williamson County crooks. Austin and Travis representatives voted for this unaccountable scam and ignored 93% of the public feedback that told them to vote NO on the double tax tolls. Here's the list of who voted FOR tolls on roads we've already paid for: Mayor Will Wynn, Councilmember Brewster McCracken, Rep. Mark Strama, County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty, Rep. Dawnna Dukes and more (make sure you remember them the next time you vote).
When you see the toll booths being built around Austin, just think about how they represent your $1,000�€™s of dollars a year helping Williamson County to build more free roads.
Sal Costello
Founder of AustinTollParty.com and People for Efficient Transportation
imacsal@aol.com
»salcostello.blogspot.com/ |
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 McSummationMmmm, Zeebas Are Tastee.Premium,MVM
join:2003-08-13
Round Rock, TX
kudos:2 | This is not an argument. However, what "free roads" are being built in Williamson County? There are plenty of these damnable toll roads inside Williamson County, to wit - TX 130, TX 45, 183A.
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"The Kinkster" for Governor! If you live in Texas, you know who he is. If you don't, then you can't vote for him anyway. |
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| TX 130, TX 45, 183A are all NEW routes. The only tolls being placed on existing freeway's take place in Travis County. |
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McSummationMmmm, Zeebas Are Tastee.Premium,MVM
join:2003-08-13
Round Rock, TX
kudos:2 | What free roads are being built in Williamson County that are being funded by Travis County money? |
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| reply to imacsal
Pleanty of free roads for WilCo have been approved by CAMPO over the past 2 years. |
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McSummationMmmm, Zeebas Are Tastee.Premium,MVM
join:2003-08-13
Round Rock, TX
kudos:2 | Name the "several" roads. Roads that are not being paid for by my Williamson County taxes. |
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| reply to imacsal
For two years Travis County has been told, by the powers that be, that we must toll our freeways because there is no more money for free roads. Yet somehow, over the same two years, Williamson County has been given numerous free roads, without toll booths:
• FM 1660 from CR 134 to CR 101
• IH-35/SH 29 Interchange turnaround structures
• US 79 from east city limits of Hutto to CR 402
• US 79 from east of Taylor to the Milam county line
• RM 2338 from FM 3405 to Ronald Reagan Boulevard and
• US 183 from San Gabriel River to SH 29. |
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McSummationMmmm, Zeebas Are Tastee.Premium,MVM
join:2003-08-13
Round Rock, TX
kudos:2 | You just lost my support.
None of these are "tollable" roads. |
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| reply to imacsal
Who are you kidding. I never had your support.
In Austin, we don't get new free roads like Williamson County.
Hundreds of millions of our tax dollars have gone into right of way, construction and utility relocation to permanently take sections of our free expressways:
MOPAC
183
290
71
360 (still in the toll plan)
You can thank these crooks for tolls on roads we've already paid for:
»www.texastollparty.com/looters_c···ters.php
.
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j9_ls1
join:2002-07-22
Austin, TX | reply to imacsal
quit being vague. There are several toll roads currently being contstucted in Austin that are NOT from our tax dollars. It is bonded money. For instance, the MOPAC extension, 183a, are bonded, not from our pockets. I think that you are not clear enough, and that is the why people doubt you. |
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robbinPremium,MVM
join:2000-09-21
Leander, TX
kudos:1 | said by j9_ls1:quit being vague...I think that you are not clear enough, and that is the why people doubt you. I doubt Sal because he twists the truth to suit his agenda. Then if you try to honestly debate him, he either accuses you of being on the take in the toll road conspiracy or just not knowing the "true facts" as those who dwell in the "muck" (such as himself) do!  |
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j9_ls1
join:2002-07-22
Austin, TX | yeah, funny nothing ever came of their "super secret newly discovered conspiracy documents" proving the toll roads were built incorrectly...LMAO...that is why we let the engineers be engineers. |
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 TxKentPremium
join:2001-05-18
Pflugerville, TX | reply to imacsal
My point of view on this whole thing is very simple: toll roads suck. I will NEVER pay to drive on one. Gas taxes are so high - there has to be some mis-management by the powers that be to not have enough money to build the roads without those #$#%!! toll booths every couple of miles.
I keep wondering - "who is getting rich off this deal?"
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j9_ls1
join:2002-07-22
Austin, TX | zee Germans...  |
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TxKentPremium
join:2001-05-18
Pflugerville, TX | reply to imacsal
I thought Cintra was a Spanish company? I guess we have a lot of German politicos around here too..
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 CoronaIt's cool, I'm takin it backPremium
join:2000-03-14
Dallas, TX
 ·AT&T U-Verse
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I love toll roads. Austin traffic is absolutely horrible.
Whenever I'm in Dallas, I use them. Why? BECAUSE 90% OF THE PEOPLE SITTING ON THE FREE ROADS ARE TOO CHEAP TO USE THEM.
So - when toll roads come in, all you cheapies just sit there in the free lanes while I zoom by you all in the toll roads.
Oh, and BTW TxKent  , when you're stopped in traffic, you're getting ZERO MPG.
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Corona
Come and get your dork on
Take a Ride on the SHORT BUS
See my gallery |
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TxKentPremium
join:2001-05-18
Pflugerville, TX | reply to imacsal
I don't generally sit in traffic. I use alternate routes - and avoid highways for the most part.
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j9_ls1
join:2002-07-22
Austin, TX | well, when you use the alternate routes, dont forget your foil cap. Sal thinks the alternate routes are a conspiracy to force you to pass the alien brain wave devices, which will allow them to learn everything in your head...:ohno: |
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TxKentPremium
join:2001-05-18
Pflugerville, TX | No problem. I'm in class right now learning 1337 skillz. I can bypass the scanners.
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 algPassionately apatheticPremium
join:2001-04-10
Houston, TX
kudos:3 | reply to Corona
said by Corona:Oh, and BTW TxKent , when you're stopped in traffic, you're getting ZERO MPG. Actually that is incorrect.
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Fearlessly the idiot faced the crowd, smiling. |
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