Manor, Lago Vista Remain in Cap Metro

Manor City Hall (Photo by Larry D. Moore)

In identical propositions, Manor and Lago Vista voters chose to keep the two Travis County cities in Cap Metro. The contests weren't even that close; in Manor, the pro-transit side romped with 78.8%, while in more conservative Lago Vista, 54.8% of lakeside voters opted to stay with the transit authority. Cap Metro is 3-for-3 in such elections in 2022, as Leander also voted to remain in May.

Manor and Lago Vista have been a part of Cap Metro since its inception in 1985 and pay a 1% sales tax to fund the public transit agency. Both cities had a second proposition contingent on discontinuing Cap Metro services that would have allowed them to collect that 1% for themselves; both cities' current councils initiated the referendums, arguing that the infrequent service and low ridership of their current Cap Metro services weren't worth the taxes being forgone that could be used for roads or economic development.

"CapMetro looks forward to its continued partnership with both the City of Manor and the City of Lago Vista and appreciates the voters in both cities for recognizing the essential need for public transit in a community ... In our FY2022 budget, CapMetro committed $10 million to help invest in our small member cities and build more transit-supportive infrastructure, with $1,065,048 committed to Manor and $129,328 committed to Lago Vista," a Cap Metro statement read in part.

Manor officials did not respond for comment by press time, but previously told the Chronicle they favored alternative transportation solutions, such as the subsidized Uber rides provided by Kyle and Pflugerville within their city limits. The vote had particularly significant implications in Manor, which currently factors into the region's long-term public transit vision with a proposed stop in the city on Project Connect's Green Line.