Thread: Secrecy on Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC)

http://www.wacotrib.com

Editorial: Secrecy on TTC


Sunday, September 17, 2006

This is a fascinating concept.

The people of Texas have entered into an agreement with a foreign company to build a super highway financed by tolls. And get this: The people are told they can’t know what’s in that agreement.

The case for closed records is being made by the Texas Department of Transportation and Gov. Rick Perry in a suit that could be called Texas vs. Texas. So, taxpayers, what side are you on?

We trust that you are on the side of open government, and that our governor and his agencies are, too. But they aren’t acting that way.

The transportation agency has been named in a suit by Attorney General Greg Abbott for its refusal to disclose contractual matters on the Trans-Texas Corridor.

The function of building and managing the TTC has been awarded to a Spanish company, Cintra-Zachary.

The firm says that contract information is proprietary since it’s a private business. Unless Perry or the agency concedes that Abbott is right and they’re wrong, this will go to trial Oct. 10. That will be Texas dollars and attorneys defending secrecy and Texas dollars and attorneys pleading the case for openness.

The Houston Chronicle has filed an open records request under state public information laws. Cintra-Zachry asked a court to block release of its plans. Abbott has ruled they are public records.

This case shows a key pitfall of contracting government services out to private business. Because various concerns could be construed as proprietary, contractors often refuse to release information about what they are doing with tax dollars.

It’s outrageous that the people of Texas can be excluded from knowing exactly what they are purchasing with their tax dollars. This “just trust us” mode is what spawns scandals and the misallocation of funds.

It would seem beyond dispute that the terms of an agreement to build the biggest highway project in Texas history would be a public matter.

Gov. Perry may think he invented a new widget with his agreement with Cintra-Zachary to build the TTC, but it’s got to have the same old raw materials, and those include public disclosure.

Please, Governor, don’t waste another penny of our tax dollars defending secrecy that, if not outright illegal, runs directly counter to the essential principle of open government.

http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/8496/

Video: http://stopperry.com/action_tellYourReps.php

Citizen Group Adds to Eminent Domain Debate in Texas Governor Race with Online Video

NewswireToday - /newswire/ - Wakefield, NH, United States, 09/13/2006 - A local group turns up the heat on Texas Gov. Rick Perry in the escalating battle over the Trans-Texas Corridor with an online video campaign adding to the eminent domain debate.


The Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC) project championed by Gov. Rick Perry will bring about mass evictions of Texans from their homes, farms, and ranches, according to an online video released by a citizen group.

An official website promoting the TTC project confirms plans for use of eminent domain to evict families from their homes in record numbers.

"This is the largest land-grab in Texas history. Perry plans to force Texas families from their homes, kicking and screaming, so a foreign company can profit for the next 50 years. And, the details of the land grab are still being withheld from the public, for more than a year." said Sal Costello, founder of People for Efficient Transportation PAC.

A new video has been created by the group to help inform more Texans of the more than half a million acre Perry TTC plan, and it is easily available for viewing online at StopPerryLandGrab.com. The video was also created to shine a light on the secret deal made between Gov. Perry and Cintra behind closed doors that will result in the start of the massive evictions in order to begin construction the TTC, according to Costello.

In an effort to help the public visualize the impact of the TTC, the video shows a cartoon of Perry literally kicking families out of their homes and off their farms and ranches all across Texas.

"Texas families getting kicked out of their homes to benefit foreign construction companies is a horrific lottery with scary odds," said Costello. "They are forcing the TTC on Texans, and depending where they draw the line on the map will determine who gets booted from their homes."

The Texas Dept. of Transportation (TxDOT) has confirmed the plans in the "Myth vs. Reality" section of a web site created to promote the TTC plans StopPerryLandGrab.

"The video also focuses on the TTC contract that has been kept a secret for over a year. A lawsuit was filed in June of 2005 to keep the details from being made public. The attorney general ruled the contract must be made public over a year ago. Why is the deal still a secret after a whole year?" asked Costello.

(Cintra Zachry, LP and the TxDOT vs Greg Abbott, District Court of Travis County, GN502207.)

The site does not deny the concerns expressed by the opposition of thousands of angry Texans who have appeared at recent hearings. Instead it provides excuses and justifications for the actions that are planned, and actually confirms those plans.

"Their own web site clearly states that property will be taken through eminent domain, and that they plan to use ‘Quick Take' authorized by HB 3588 to force homeowners out in just 91 days. They even state that they plan to do this just as soon as the environmental process and public hearings are completed," explained Costello.

"They admit that large amounts of farm land will be divided by the TTC, but they excuse it away by saying they will build cross over roads and places for livestock to cross under. They also admit that hundreds of thousands of acres of properties will be taken off the tax roles, costing local governments in lost taxes," he added.

The TTC site responds to concerns that the right of "quick-take" will be used to take private property for the TTC project by explaining how quick-take works. It does not, however, deny that quick-take will be used.

"The state has attempted to create an illusion that there is nothing to worry about and the fears that have been expressed at hearings all over the state are unfounded. In reality a careful reading of their own web site reveals that the state has confirmed all those fears," said Costello.

Press Contact:
Sal Costello
512-288-9991
Sal[.]TexasTollParty.com


Agency / Source: ThatPRGuy.com