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Austin City Council OKs modifying Project Connect implementation, postpones license plate reader discussion

Mayor Kirk Watson and several other council members expressed their gratitude to be one step closer to completing the light rail project.

AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin City Council met Thursday at City Hall to discuss a number of hot button issues.

The council approved a resolution to adopt the modifications and implementation of Phase 1 of Project Connect, the multi-billion-dollar, voter-approved plan to revamp public transit in Austin.

Mayor Kirk Watson and several other councilmembers expressed their gratitude to be one step closer to completing this project. 

"The approval of the Austin Light Rail Implementation Plan is a huge step toward getting us to the day when we can start building," Watson said. 

"This dream has survived failed elections and the Texas lege and has been run through the wringer of economic realities that forced us to scale back the vision," Councilmember Zohaib "Zo" Qadri (District 9) said. "But our voters have proven to us that they want that they want to see this happen. And more than that, we know it needs to happen."

Phase 1 includes building a light rail that goes as far north as 38th Street, south to Oltorf Street and east to Yellow Jacket Lane. The plan is expected to cost $5 billion.

On Friday at 1:30 p.m., Capital Metro's Board of Directors will also vote on adopting the Austin Light Rail Implementation Plan.

The city council also discussed bringing license plate reader cameras back to the Austin Police Department. The cameras can snap a photo of vehicles passing by, timestamp it and then ping police if the license plate is involved in certain investigations.

Councilmember Ryan Alter (District 5) said that the license plate readers would be a step towards helping a police department that doesn't have enough personnel. 

"I wanted to make sure that if we were going to be operating in a space with fewer police officers, that we are providing the tools necessary to help bridge that gap that we have in our police force. But also do it responsibly and in a way that balances those concerns," Alter said. "This is the compromise that I believe is the right approach."

The council was set to discuss authorizing the negotiation and execution of a contract for license plate reader camera systems and services with Insight Public Sector, Inc. However, that discussion was postponed to June 8.

Meanwhile, a proposal that would have allowed police to keep the data from the cameras for seven days instead of 30 failed, but then shortly after was also postponed to June 8. 

Finally, the council approved an $88 million settlement to end two lawsuits between the City of Austin and Lonestar Airport Holdings, LLC, over the South Terminal at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

The City wanted to acquire the terminal from Lonestar Airport Holdings. Austin moved forward with an eminent domain lawsuit to get it, but Lonestar Airport Holdings filed a federal lawsuit, claiming unjust compensation and breach of contract.

A Texas probate court ordered the City to pay $90 million to the company. On Thursday, the City announced that it had reached an $88 million settlement. 

The settlement now allows the airport to move forward with its Airport Expansion and Development Program (AEDP). Later this fall, the South Terminal will be transferred over to the Department of Aviation, but right now, all airline, vendor and business operations will remain under LoneStar Airport Holdings, LLC.

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