Leander leaders weigh CapMetro funding, direct staff to press for rail cost review and regional coalition

Leander — Leander City Council members spent much of their June 25 transportation workshop briefing on Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (CapMetro) operations, financing and local ridership figures, then unanimously authorized staff to pursue two steps: renegotiate Leander’s interlocal agreement (ILA) responsibility for rail costs and begin outreach to form a regional/state coalition to press for statutory changes.

CapMetro account, local stakes

City staff presented CapMetro ridership and finance data for the Austin-area system and for Leander specifically. CapMetro’s systemwide revenue was described as roughly $402 million, with about 24.9 million system boardings in the past 12 months and roughly 500,000 rail boardings over the same period. Staff reported recent local figures showing about 16,000 total Leander boardings over the most recent two months and an increasing multi‑year trend of visits at Leander Station: about 45,000 visits in 2022, 55,000 in 2023 and nearly 70,000 in 2024.

Leander’s sales-tax contribution to CapMetro was shown at roughly $11.4 million in recent years; city staff said Leander’s cumulative contribution since 2005 exceeds $100 million. The presentation also described…