Leander election this Saturday could end Capital Metro service in the city

Voters in Leander will decide this month whether to end Capital Metro services in the city. Early voting is underway for the May 7 election. Capital Metro provides a MetroExpress commuter bus route into downtown Austin, the local on-demand transit option Pickup and a commuter rail link into Austin. It's paid for with a 1% sales tax. The sales tax has been generating increasingly more money as Leander's economy booms, while transit ridership has slumped during the pandemic. The diverging trend lines have created a perfect storm for CapMetro opponents who have fought unsuccessfully for years to remove Leander from the service area.

Proposition A asks voters if CapMetro should continue in Leander. Supporters say the transit service is vital to one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. They point to millions of dollars in infrastructure funding CapMetro is offering and the prospect of being connected to a multibillion-dollar light-rail system — built at the expense of Austin taxpayers — that will connect Leander with Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. "A yes vote on Proposition A in Leander honors our promise to seniors, to people with disabilities, to parents and students," said James Larsen with Keep Leander Connected, a group organized to support Proposition A. "Unfortunately, a no vote will leave them stranded." Opponents of Proposition A say Leander's transit offerings are not used enough to justify spending surging sales tax revenues as the city's population skyrockets.