Mayor delays urban rail vote

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell told Austin residents Wednesday they will not vote on an Urban Rail proposal this year.

The mayor released a lengthy statement on his website saying it was "not feasible for the City to bring a fully developed urban rail proposal" to the voters.

Among the mayor's concerns - which way to take a train over Lady Bird Lake, construction snags for business owners downtown, and which agency would actually manage and run the rail line.

"It now appears that the City is unlikely to be in a position before November to present voters with a final proposal for partnering with a specific entity to operate the urban rail system," Leffingwell said.

The announcement comes just less than two weeks before Capital Metro will open its MetroRail line, running 32 miles from Leander to Downtown Austin.

Capital Metro's leaders said MetroRail will open March 22.

Leffingwell said Wednesday he would bring an urban rail proposal back to voters in November 2011.

"I remain as committed to urban rail as ever," Leffingwell said. "If anything, this delay reflects our determination to get urban rail right – and we will."