*EDIT*
From Waxahachie Council Member Joe Gallo:
Jonathan,
I would be all for it, but the light rail issue is bigger than any one councilmember.
In fact, it’s bigger than any one city.
As far as I know, there are no immediate plans to “make a push for it.
Paul Stevens can give you a better idea of what the probability of light rail ever coming to Waxahachie and what the important issues and problems are.-Joe Gallo
*END EDIT*
From the Waxahachie City Manager, Paul Stevens, regarding rail in Waxahachie:
Jonathan,
As you probably know, we did participate in the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) Regional Rail Study and we are shown as essentially the end of the line for the southernmost point of the Metroplex that would have passenger rail. State Representative Fred Hill did try and get legislation through this session that would allow cities to exceed their sales tax cap if it went toward a transit system. I don’t believe it passed.
We do keep up with any movement that works towards regional rail and will continue to do so. We will attend the Transportation Summit in August and I am sure regional rail and what steps to take next will be discussed.Thanks,
Paul
In addition, Paul informs me that Waxahachie has a ½ cent dedicated to the Sports Complex and the Civic Center and another ½ cent for property tax relief. Grapevine likely just had a ½ cent prior to the rail tax.
