The Chronicle‘s Rad Sallee reported Monday that METRO continues to stonewall the newspaper’s request for information on land acquisition:
The Metropolitan Transit Authority has asked the state attorney general whether it must grant a Houston Chronicle request for a list of properties it plans to purchase for a Bus Rapid Transit line in the Near Northside.
Metro says such information is exempted by passages in the Texas Public Information Act that protect certain real estate matters from disclosure.
“Exemptions to open records laws exist for good reason: in this case to protect the interests of private property owners,” said Metro vice president George Smalley.
One section of the act cited by Metro attorneys applies to information that would “give advantage to a competitor or bidder.” Another applies to a property’s location “prior to public announcement of the project.”
But Metro’s plans to build a North Line were announced long before the 2003 election that approved the idea. And on Aug. 23 the Metro board decided on the exact route, then posted it online for the world to see.
Several residents said they are concerned because environmental documents released in December have already listed their properties among more than 200 that Metro said it would need to acquire for right of way on the line.
In recent weeks, Metro has said it will need less than half that many properties — and even fewer whole ones. But it won’t identify them.
Back in February, Frank “Procurement Disaster” Wilson asserted that METRO operates “in a completely transparent manner.”
Right — Just like Wilson operated in a completely ethical manner in New Jersey!
