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DEL.ICIO.USThe House makes its transportation pitch
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In a hastily called, late Wednesday meeting with lobbyists and business leaders, House Transportation Committee Vance Smith unveiled his proposal for a one-cent, statewide sales tax for transportation.
Designed to generate as much appeal as possible from a GOP-controlled House that rejected something similar last year, Smith said the tax — subject to a 10-year sunset — would raise $25 billion over its lifetime.
The state’s largest 30 cities, plus the counties of Forsyth, Paulding and Coweta, would be allocated a share equivalent to $1,000 per resident.
Smith said his bill remains a concept. He has put nothing in writing. Moreover, the transportation chairman said he had no control over what could clearly become the most important part of his legislation.
Smith said the question of “governance” — what state authority would determine who got how much of the money — was a topic of ongoing negotiation among Gov. Sonny Perdue, House Speaker Glenn Richardson, and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle.
“It’s certainly something that’s huge — very important — to the general scheme of things. Don’t disregard it. It’s very important,” the committee chairman said.
Smith said he didn’t know whether “governance” includes a bill that House Majority Leader Jerry Keen is reportedly ready to drop, which would take appointments to the state transportation board out of the hands of low-level state lawmakers and give that power directly to a triumvirate of the governor, the lieutenant governor and the House speaker.
Here’s what Perdue said Wednesday in his state-of-the-state address:
”Once I feel certain that we can deliver transportation value to Georgia citizens, I will support responsible measures to raise additional revenues.”
House Speaker Glenn Richardson has endorsed Smith’s proposal — a constitutional amendment that would have to be approved by voters in 2010. He called it the “Citizens Transportation Funding Bill.”
But the House last year failed to bite on a similar proposal. Smith and his Senate counterpart, Jeff Mullis, arrived at a compromise that would allow groups of counties — especially metro Atlanta — to band together and levy the one-cent tax. The compromise passed the House, but failed in the Senate. Until December, negotiations continued to refine the concept — which was endorsed by Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle.
Only in the last few weeks has the House peeled off, baffling Cagle, the Senate, and the business community.
At the impromptu and surprisingly open meeting of the House Transportation Committee, lobbyists and others wondered out loud whether Smith could win the support of House Republicans. “What we can’t control is your membership,” said Chuck Clay, a former GOP state senator who’s advising the pro-transportation coalition Get Georgia Moving.
Others advised Smith that they feared getting trapped in the three-way political calculus. Mike Kenn, president of Georgians for Better Transportation, an advocate for road-builders, told Smith that the business community intended to remain an “honest broker” in the process — and, while aiding Smith, would also back Cagle’s regional support.
“We’re going to help the Senate with what they’re going to propose,” Kenn said.
In pitching his bill, Smith gave a detailed laundry list of possible projects:
— Major interstate intersections, including the I-285/I-75/Windy Hill Road in Cobb, I-75 and I-16 in Macon, and I-285 and Ga. 400;
— The creation of freight truck “conduits” that would remove such traffic from the interstates;
— Economic development corridors;
— “Roads of regional significance,” which would include shifting Ga. 316 to limited access;
— Light suburban rail, “especially” on the north side, and “possibly” the Athens-Atlanta “brain train.”
Smith acknowledged that the list was long, and ambitions. “I don’t want to say I can’t do it until I try,” he said. “Think about this. Sleep on it. And come back with suggestions.”
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Comments
By trei
January 15, 2009 12:41 PM | Link to this
Now, I understand why GA is suffering financial woes in all aspects…look at the pork..more money for GA400..why have we been paying tolls for years?? Why not focus on shifting the ‘designated’ work locations away from North atlanta and spread the well paying opportunities in all directions…would ease the traffic situation..why don’t these chambers step up??!!!
By The Smart Way
January 15, 2009 5:44 PM | Link to this
This is how to do transportation and growth the right way:
http://www.nrdc.org/smartGrowth/visions/FeaturedScenarios.asp
http://www.nrdc.org/smartGrowth/visions/Tempe-AZ.asp
By scott
January 27, 2009 10:09 PM | Link to this
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