Last month, hopes for a vote on urban rail were dashed.
Despite years of discussion, preliminary routes, and an estimate of the cost, Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell shot down the idea, saying plans lacked“a sufficient level of certainty” to put a proposal before voters in November.
There were political considerations too. Momentum’s building in the long push for a medical school at UT-Austin – and should public funding be required, backers had warned against asking voters to approve tax increases for urban rail and a medical school all at once.
This week, flyers started appearing in Austin mailboxes, supporting the concept of a local medical school.