Mass Transit & Energy Use
For the fourth time in 20 years, Houstonians will again get the chance to vote on competing light rail initiatives in November after Mayor Lee Brown successfully placed a second measure on the ballot to foil those who want to stop the area's first rail line.
Brown’s referendum would allow the public to vote on any planned expansion of the light rail. Houston City Council passed the initiative in a unanimous vote. If approved, it could force the Metropolitan Transit Authority to halt work and tear up the work already completed on the rail.
Let the People Vote, an anti-rail group, collected more than 20,000 signatures that forced the city council to approve the initiative for the November ballot.
“There is plenty of evidence to suggest that such an investment is not worthwhile, that the taxpayers of Houston will not get their money’s worth when it comes to light rail,” wrote U.S. Rep. Tom Delay, Republican Majority Whip from nearby Sugar Land and the area's staunchest opponent of urban rail transit. “We need to be very careful before we commit the people of Houston to light rail.”
Brown’s initiative will appear first on the ballot and will read, “Shall the charter of the city of Houston be amended to require METRO voter approval before the city hereafter may give its consent to any Metro rail system project.”
Opponents of light rail believe Brown’s initiative is unnecessary because state law requires voter approval on any further rail expansion. According to the city charter “the city cannot hold charter elections in successive years,” therefore passage of either initiative would be useless since the next election would be in 2003.
METRO said delays on the rail are costing taxpayers more than $2 million a month. Opponents claim that halting rail construction will save more than $300 million.
The fight over light rail is not over. With both initiatives on the ballot voters will once again get to make a choice. Regardless of the electoral outcome light rail construction will continue until at least 2003.
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