Voters Opportunity to Speak to the Powers That Be

Dear Editor,
    Does it make sense that saving Barton Springs is cheaper than paving its watershed? Does it make sense that ending secretly negotiated tax giveaways and police contracts will save taxpayers' money? We'll see if Austinites find that it does on Saturday when we vote on Propositions 1 and 2.
    Did you know that CAMPO has the authority to use federal highway funds to protect land in the sensitive Barton Springs Watershed? CAMPO's chief Michael Aulick put it in writing to his board last year.
    Bruce Perrin wrote last week (to me), "you imply that the money CAMPO is planning to spend on the roadways can somehow be used by the city to purchase open space". No, Bruce. I specifically stated that the city of Austin should use bond funds to purchase open space and conservation easements in the Barton Springs Watershed.
    All levels of government should be coordinating efforts to protect clean water in the Edwards Aquifer, in drinking-water wells that serve 50,000 citizens, and in Barton Springs. Conserving our fragile water resources is cheaper than paying for pavement and pollution.
    But instead of coordination for conservation we have a failure of leadership at all levels. The only official regional entity we have is the one (CAMPO) that plans to pave Central Texas in a toll road scheme dependent on neverending, car-dependent sprawl in every direction.
    Prop. 2 will slow down the toll road insanity. Prop. 1 will stop the secret tax giveaways. It's up to the voters to speak to the powers that be. We have the opportunity to vote for reform, for transparency in local government, for increased protection of Barton Springs, and for saving tax dollars.