Lone Star Rail(LSRD) has been very quiet of late. No progress reports, press releases or public announcements. Their web site http://www.lonestarrail.com/ has very little current information or description of activities. Their Environmental Impact Study(EIS) is not slated for completion until September, 2017. In the meantime, no progress reports have been made public.
The Wilco Sun(Link) reported last week that the Federal Highway Administration and TxDOT has accepted Lone Star Rail"s "purpose and need" report, but there are no other reports of this acceptance, nor are there any links to the "purpose and need" report.
Evidently Lone Star Rail has been concentrating their effort to extract funds from local governments at the southern end of the proposed rail line. Bexar County approved $500,000 for Lone Star Rail in the budget they passed last week. "Lone Star Rail District Director Joe Black said he's also asked the City of San Antonio and VIA Metropolitan Transit for start-up funding. The rail agency will also ask for funding from Alamo Colleges, Black said."
The LSRD is asking that Schertz and New Braunfels enter into tax increment zone agreements by the end of September, in order to lock in a local funding commitment for future operating and maintenance costs. These tax increment zone(TIZ) agreements are mechanisms for transferring power away from the local communities and local elected officials. Once a TIZ is created, the additional taxes generated in the future by property within the TIZ goes to LSRD without limit. Not good for the local citizens to give up the power to control the taxes in their city.
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