Cobb legislator's bill seeks delay to regional transportation referendum

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By Janel Davis and Christopher Quinn

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The chairman of Cobb County’s legislative delegation, Rep. Ed Setzler, filed a bill Tuesday that would cancel the regional transportation referendum set for July, make changes to the process and call for another referendum in 2014.

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Rep. Ed Setzler, seen speaking at a Metro Regional TSPLOST Town Hall Meeting in Kennesaw on Aug. 31, 2011, has filed a bill that would delay regional transportation referendum until 2014.

Hyosub Shin, hshin@ajc.com Rep. Ed Setzler, seen speaking at a Metro Regional TSPLOST Town Hall Meeting in Kennesaw on Aug. 31, 2011, has filed a bill that would delay regional transportation referendum until 2014.

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Setzler, R-Acworth, has long criticized the referendum that, if approved by voters in July, would allow a 1-cent sales tax to fund transportation projects in regions across the state for 10 years. In the 10-county metro area, the tax would generate $6.14 billion for projects.

Setzler said the existing regional transportation act has three major flaws: It contains constitutional flaws; the projects chosen were shifted toward economic development instead of traffic relief; and the current act needs more local input on projects and regional partnerships. Setzler has also faulted the existing process for not letting counties opt out of the regional plan.

Setzler said his alternative bill, House Bill 938, would give counties more flexibility in determining who they partner with and which projects are chosen.

Setzler’s bill, which is co-sponsored by Reps. Rick Golick, R-Smyrna, and Matt Ramsey, R-Peachtree City, would throw out the July vote and proposes amending the state constitution through the November election to establish a regional transportation funding process.

The bill also would allow counties to form their own alliances to determine whether to call for a transportation referendum. Counties participating in the revised referendum would be allowed to levy fractional penny taxes during the 10-year levy period.

"I think if there is county self-determination, meaning there is [an] opt-in approach to it, I think the voters of our state will support this," he said.