Why Fund Empty Buses Instead of Empty Potholes?
By David Moore, Unite San Antonio
Back in November 2020, citizens of San Antonio voted to divert 1/8th cent sales tax revenue from Aquifer Protection and Green Way projects to SA Ready to Work, and then in 2026 to VIA. This was based upon lies and false claims by city officials and VIA President/CEO Jeffery Arndt.
At the time most felt 1/8th cent was not much, but a 2019 projection suggested it would result in $35 million annually. Why is this important now? There are two reasons.
First, the estimated $154 million projected funding for SA Ready to Work, and the estimated 40,000 people it would help, has fallen ridiculously short of those numbers. Now, three years later and after an increase in spending to $185 million, KSAT reports that 1,000 people enrolled and 57 had completed the program.
This is after City Council approved $185 million in contracts with outside agencies and non-profit organizations. According to the article, millions were spent to train a fast-food employee to be a warehouse stocker for HEB.
It would appear the biggest swindlers in San Antonio have been elected. Yet, as Paul Harvey would say, now for the rest of the story.
The second reason the 2020 prop election was a massive shell game, or 3-card monte scam, is that in just two short years that meaningless 1/8th cent sales tax is going to be given over to VIA Metropolitan Transit, increasing its yearly budget to somewhere around half-a-billion dollars.
We already know our current bus service is a joke: huge cumbersome buses with no passengers, long waits and even longer travel times. The 2022 VIA budget was $259.4 million, with sales tax revenue accounting for 62.3%. That’s an increase of 7.8% over 2021.
We won’t know until 2024 just how much sales tax revenue went towards VIA’s $406.6 million dollar budget, but judging from its past performance, the percentage could top the 75.8% reached in 2018.
So why does VIA need such an immense increase in sales tax revenue? The simple answer is its Advanced Rapid Transit program, with its initial Rapid Green Line (north-south) Project.
A projected $386.4 million dollar dedicated bus line from the airport, down San Pedro, through downtown to just south of Hwy 90. It’s an approximately 12-mile route. Or, $32 million dollar per mile.
Let me rephrase that. VIA plans to build a priority bus line from the airport down San Pedro, through downtown to Steves Ave., with fancy new buses, expensive bus stops, dedicated bus lanes, bus priority signal lights, and it’s only going to cost us $386.4 million.
How is this to be paid for?
Go to the frequently asked questions page of the artful professional scam site for VIA’s Advanced Rapid Transit, and look up “How will the project be funded?” You’ll get a kick out of the answer. Spoiler alert; the answer ends with “will be paid back using ATD Sales Tax Revenue.”
That’s right folks! Your sales tax revenue, which could be used for capital improvement projects throughout the city, is going to provide bus service for tourists downtown. If you believe tourists are going to use a municipal bus to get to their downtown hotel, I’ve got ocean front property in the panhandle I’ll sell you.
This is what comes from believing your City Council and Mayor Ron Nirenberg. We’ve been sold a bill of goods which will drive this city into bankruptcy.
When we don’t get involved, when we don’t become informed, when we don’t take the time to get to the truth, we make ourselves victims of the profiteer and corrupt politicians.
**The views and opinions expressed in this guest editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of InfuseSA. InfuseSA shall not be held liable for any inaccuracies represented in guest editorials.