Ken Paxton weighs in on Project Connect...what does this mean?
Texas's indicted attorney general has added his two cents to the Project Connect saga. Surprise, surprise, he thinks it's illegal!
In an eight-page opinion, the attorney general's office suggests there are "mistakes" that may render the current Project Connect financial structure illegal. Worse (but equally predictable), the opinion does not offer concrete guidance on how the city can remedy the situation and leaves the door open to the AG finding new reasons to obstruct the project in the future.
First, the opinion suggests that the tax approved by voters cannot be used to pay off debt. Second, it argues that the revenue being generated by the tax cannot be transferred to the Austin Transit Partnership in perpetuity; there must be some means for the city to end the transfer.