[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6481512,"mediaKeyId","5836963-394a0a2b57fa2d22b75af7fd3d7151d1","parentId",5836963,"title","CapMetro board approves FY2026 budget, investment policy, Project Connect reimbursements and January 2026 service changes","audioSeconds",901,"startMs",1958000,"endMs",2859000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5836963-394a0a2b57fa2d22b75af7fd3d7151d1&start=1958&end=2859","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5836963-394a0a2b57fa2d22b75af7fd3d7151d1/thumbnail_1958000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6481512/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/CapMetro-board-approves-FY2026-budget-investment-policy-Project-Connect-reimbursements-and-January-2026-service-changes","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6481512-e670757af042e40947341019aa2f06e5/orig.mp4?Expires=1773579812&Signature=HJXK0gyyyGnzjHoW7VcFWH7e6rZKYN1PEx~1-XLJ-3WpJ9DzWhYG61kmXwgD4R-IDRkLru6sWMyUzQqWN41tjBm9z8OoTCGpNWMWesWW24OTwR13qbIvu0-MxLXO6eACwuugTu~gjNgI34Dhj51Eg5ncx2ejnYXe~yLMcbLoAmJLpvgsYJ5o~9CX-D5YCQ-CJbOYBgCF7N9fMhLSW9u0qunOlVFCC2lI0tU3kjUplwDd9pMUc6s1GL5MQ8rkD6kah2v~5TzoRJGue2e82G0Ul7D~QcIFoo0kmVCiHZzDPYU3QksaelAqoeqNUmN~ZgjL-SLE0T44U4u0ScNH57epVA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Austin","date","2025-09-22T00:00:00Z","article","The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority board on Sept. 22 approved the agency's fiscal year 2026 operating and capital budget, adopted a minor update to the agency investment policy, authorized interlocal agreements tied to Project Connect capital reimbursements, and approved the January 2026 service-change package.

The board approved a FY2026 operating and capital budget with total operating and capital spending of $625,208,612. Kevin Conlon, who presented the budget material, said the plan “is structurally sound and balanced” and projects meeting reserve requirements. Board member Stratton moved the budget resolution; Board member Harris seconded. The motion passed by voice vote with the chair calling the vote unanimous.

The board also approved an annual update to CapMetro’s investment policy. Staff said the only proposed change was raising the commercial paper limitation in the portfolio diversification section from 30% to 35% on the recommendation of PFM Asset Management, CapMetro’s investment advisor. Board member Bangle moved the resolution; Vice Chair Ellis seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Two interlocal agreement actions tied to Project Connect were approved. The board authorized an amendment extending an existing interlocal agreement with the Austin Transit Partnership (ATP) that funds capital costs for the Expo Center and Pleasant Valley MetroRapid lines; that amendment extends the agreement’s term through September 2026 to allow continued invoicing and reimbursement. Brad Bowman, CapMetro chief counsel, said the amendment was intended to allow continued work and construction invoicing to ATP; the item had been approved previously by the agency’s Finance, Audit and Administration committee and by the ATP board. The motion passed unanimously.

The board also approved a new interlocal agreement enabling ATP to reimburse CapMetro for specified CapMetro Project Connect components through fiscal year 2031 “in a total amount not to exceed $148,600,000,” as read into the record when the item was called. During the same presentation a staff speaker later described total reimbursements for the listed projects with a different figure; the record therefore contains both the $148,600,000 figure as read into the record and a later staff reference to a larger total. Board members asked procedural questions about how additional CapMetro components would be added in the future; staff said either an amendment or a subsequent interlocal agreement could be used depending on scope and timing. The motion passed unanimously.

Finally, the board approved resolution language authorizing implementation of the agency’s January 2026 service changes. Jordan McGee of CapMetro planning summarized changes that include a Night Owl realignment (Route 485) to serve East Seventh/Plaza Saltillo late-night activity, a temporary realignment of Tech Ridge Express (Route 935) to use Mopac express lanes during I‑35 construction, and cost-neutral pickup‑zone boundary expansions in Lago Vista and Manor to add service within existing service area boundaries. Under CapMetro policy, which staff said aligns with applicable FTA guidance, the package was classified as not a “major service change” and therefore did not require a Title VI analysis under the agency’s process. Board member Ross moved the item; Board member Bengals seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Votes at a glance
- Action 1 (FY2026 budget): mover Stratton; second Harris; outcome: approved (unanimous). Key detail: total FY2026 operating and capital budget $625,208,612 (presented by Kevin Conlon).
- Action 2 (Investment policy): mover Bangle; second Ellis; outcome: approved (unanimous). Key detail: commercial paper limit increased 30% → 35% per PFM recommendation.
- Action 3 (Amend ILA with ATP — Expo Center/Pleasant Valley): mover Harris; second Stratton; outcome: approved (unanimous). Key detail: extends 2022 ILA term to Sept. 2026 to continue capital invoicing and reimbursement for Expo Center and Pleasant Valley MetroRapid projects.
- Action 4 (New ILA with ATP — CapMetro components reimbursed through FY2031): mover Stratton; second Ellis; outcome: approved (unanimous). Key detail: read into the record as “not to exceed $148,600,000”; staff presentation later referenced a different larger total in describing the agreement’s funding scope.
- Action 5 (January 2026 service changes): mover Ross; second Bengals; outcome: approved (unanimous). Key details: Night Owl Route 485 realigned to East Seventh/Plaza Saltillo late‑night district; Route 935 temporarily routed to Mopac express lanes during I‑35 construction; pickup boundary expansions in Lago Vista and Manor; changes to be implemented Jan. 11, 2026 (and Night Owl Jan. 12); some pickup adjustments may begin earlier as operationally feasible.

Board procedure and record notes
Board members removed no items from the consent agenda; the consent agenda (10 items) was approved by voice vote and recorded as unanimous. Several items were previously reviewed and recommended by the Finance, Audit and Administration committee and by the Austin Transit Partnership board where noted.

The board did not take any roll‑call vote tallies with individual yes/no/abstain recorded in the public transcript; the chair indicated unanimous approval for each motion as called.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Austin - Cap Metro","oneSentenceSummary","At its Sept. 22 meeting the Capital Metro board approved the agency's FY2026 operating and capital budget, updated its investment policy, authorized interlocal agreements tied to Project Connect reimbursements, and adopted a set of January 2026 service changes; all actions passed unanimously.","taxTitle","Austin, Travis County, Texas","taxId",2819,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6481502,"Riders and local officials tell CapMetro board they face safety, equity and service gaps",5516,268000,5784000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5836963-394a0a2b57fa2d22b75af7fd3d7151d1&start=268&end=5784","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5836963-394a0a2b57fa2d22b75af7fd3d7151d1/thumbnail_268000.jpg","/articles/6481502/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Riders-and-local-officials-tell-CapMetro-board-they-face-safety-equity-and-service-gaps","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6481502-8725a6b2a52183292acc46977479e5b2/orig.mp4?Expires=1773579812&Signature=AihLWDZDf9QtszCJ734T36TidNC6ZaUGQ23LeBB89acadCOlCR1tbe-PEJ-RXrPQU9O3enL3HQsQ0~Grb-yPinCh7qtPagXyzjigRUNwK9aTNE5VL9V5szAeLJcdxtcsNMZXK8btw923bt6U9WHeLrv9qjR5joa5GftlefAziEa1JYjOPl91Ow6BIDO6Fc6CLjkbFpSHxsd~B-eHW8enb~7jCpsZ0gR3FioJEUv-jB739ghVLn0ij7NVNN2-5b4ilx1qPSrzm1AUbHl6GWY2ZwRzDvrgdI9hy4EnFCsVmTPPf6pxxp8sS3bcngLCsCdhqeewD8T99uTEQg7-uqXZEQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Multiple members of the public used the Sept. 22 board meeting’s public‑comment period to raise safety concerns, to ask for service restorations in Northeast Austin, and to thank staff for planned expansions to Laguna Vista (Lago Vista) pickup service.

Stephanie (no last name given), who identified herself as a daily Metro rider, described repeated incidents that left her feeling unsafe and said she was not given clear reporting options after a recent incident on the 801. She told the board: “When I spoke to a bus driver about it the following day, instead of being given any safe reporting options, I was told that I should have reported it right then and there... It left me feeling blamed instead of protected.” She described an incident of alleged indecent exposure on a crowded 801 bus and other episodes of disorder, and said such conditions jeopardized her employment because of lateness and unpredictability in transit service.

Michelle Moe, Travis County transportation and natural resources long‑range planning manager, thanked CapMetro and the board “for the continued partnership in providing service to the urbanized unincorporated areas of Travis County” and noted successful interlocal coordination since 2015. Lua Salam echoed those remarks in support of continued service for Georgetown.

Zenobia Joseph spoke in opposition to an interlocal agreement with Travis County (as stated in her remarks) and asked the board to avoid conflating ridership‑oriented and coverage‑oriented policy, citing Title VI equity obligations and urging restoration of multiple routes she listed in her materials. She said the proposed plan “specifies building ridership” while the interlocal agreement “specifies the coverage, which is the minority transit dependent riders,” and urged the board to prioritize equitable access.

Kevin Sullivan, mayor of Lago Vista, submitted written remarks read into the record by CapMetro staff and urged the board to approve expanded pickup service in Lago Vista, praising CapMetro staff for developing the proposal quickly and with analysis.

Carlos Leon used the public‑comment period to allege discrimination, harassment and retaliation by CapMetro staff and to urge board action related to personnel matters he described; his comments included allegations that staff created a “fraudulent unwarranted suspension” and asked the board to intervene. The board did not take personnel action during the meeting.

Zenobia Joseph and another commenter (a resident from Mueller whose name was recorded as Miss Taylor) asked staff to restore service segments and reconsider route alignments to better serve neighborhoods, students and workers. The Miss Taylor comment asked that a detour alignment used during construction be considered as a regular alignment to serve a Mueller middle school and Dell Children’s Hospital staff; she described the current route as sitting for 22 minutes each hour and urged adopting a routing that would serve apartment residents and school staff.

Board members and staff acknowledged the comments and told speakers staff would follow up where appropriate and that board items — including the Transit Plan 2035 and the January 2026 service changes — include additional public engagement opportunities.

The public‑comment record in the meeting transcript contains both specific allegations about staff conduct and a range of service requests, including Title VI/equity concerns, safety reporting procedures for harassment and requests for localized routing changes.","Public commenters at the Sept. 22 CapMetro board meeting described harassment and safety concerns on buses, urged equity in service coverage and opposed certain interlocal agreements; Lago Vista’s mayor asked the board to approve expanded pickup service.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6481507,"CapMetro presents Transit Plan 2035: staff recommends phased, community‑driven roadmap for next 5‑10 years",1322,3447000,4769000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5836963-394a0a2b57fa2d22b75af7fd3d7151d1&start=3447&end=4769","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5836963-394a0a2b57fa2d22b75af7fd3d7151d1/thumbnail_3447000.jpg","/articles/6481507/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/CapMetro-presents-Transit-Plan-2035-staff-recommends-phased-communitydriven-roadmap-for-next-510-years","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6481507-f60c9238453a021af5aaaa233ae89a60/orig.mp4?Expires=1773579812&Signature=Wtu-x5TVsUssPAEnrTEpxAn16Sov9CQ6XNXx6okPrwhwCnYWbFchEphqFA~pYXmuEZnTrdg89tY9Of9BZulUeflw8NJ-AZA~AQaT~0yE6OhPgvngvxjGYD2ZH55o3AUGC-BoQ8ezdhxLqimcGSRnCCn57V6WSin7J5Bki1-OvD3kmnPoagxOpvTnN1xxA~ix68M3fFLcnjuUZHd~i--CGVK~lxc1-f2NJWauHSTrCFZdMQG2dpLIBdZHrW1vgAccaFYKVqEQIVGQGeYsZUtKGRoERdfiUssN747y9iKWtmBIG9PB96xbYPf79RdXT-2rZPcj7edn3rKm13QNPl9g5A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","CapMetro staff on Sept. 22 presented Transit Plan 2035, a multi‑year network and policy roadmap that staff said is grounded in location and ridership data and shaped by more than 10,000 public comments. Staff described the plan as a phased set of recommendations to be implemented over the next 5 to 10 years, with board consideration scheduled for Oct. 20 and implementation proposals proceeding through the agency’s regular service‑change process.

Lawrence Dieter, CapMetro planner, said the plan is “data driven” and a “road map and vision for CapMetro’s transit service over the next 5 to 10 years.” Dieter told the board the plan reflected a broad public engagement program and that the team revised about 40% of the initially proposed route changes after community feedback.

Dieter and Rose Liska, principal planner, described three implementation phases: near‑term (first five years) focused on growing ridership and aligning services with Project Connect openings such as Broadmoor Station and two park‑and‑ride facilities; a 5‑plus‑year phase that integrates with the launch of Austin light rail and expands regional connectivity; and a 10‑plus‑year concept list for longer‑term system growth. Jordan McGee, senior planner, explained that the January 2026 service changes now approved by the board were separate from the longer Transit Plan and would follow existing Title VI and service‑change rules.

Key features staff highlighted:
- Public engagement: staff reported reaching more than 10,000 people and convening 30+ focus groups, and said front‑line operators’ input directly shaped some route recommendations. Dieter said staff adjusted 26 of 60 proposed routes after the draft public comment, an update staff described as driven by community feedback.
- Phasing: near‑term changes focus on aligning routes with current demand, including opening Rapid lines to full frequencies and adding hours at rail stations; mid‑term changes are structured around Austin light rail integration; longer‑term concepts would require additional partnerships or funding.
- Regional and equity focus: staff said they used population, employment and location‑based travel data to identify areas with unmet transit needs and recommended pickup‑zone expansions and targeted frequency improvements (examples cited include Airport Boulevard and segments serving Montopolis and Del Valle).

Dieter and staff emphasized the plan is not itself a service change; each recommendation will return to the board through the standard service-change process with additional outreach and implementation timelines. Board members asked about the accessibility of raw comment data, east‑west cross‑town connectivity north of State Highway 183, and the plan’s responsiveness to growth corridors such as Palmer Lane; staff said summary engagement results are on the project website and more detailed comments can be provided on request.

Dottie Watkins, CapMetro president and CEO, praised the engagement and framed the plan as the first step toward implementing future service changes, noting prior capital and service improvements that began as planning efforts. The board will hold a public open house on Oct. 6 and is scheduled to vote on adoption Oct. 20, 2025.","CapMetro staff presented the Transit Plan 2035, a data‑driven and community‑informed roadmap that staff says will guide phased service changes over the next 5–10 years; the board will consider adoption on Oct. 20 after additional outreach.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

CapMetro board approves FY2026 budget, investment policy, Project Connect reimbursements and January 2026 service changes

Riders and local officials tell CapMetro board they face safety, equity and service gaps

CapMetro presents Transit Plan 2035: staff recommends phased, community‑driven roadmap for next 5‑10 years