Governor, legislative leaders unite behind transportation plan

By Ariel Hart

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

In a deliberate, unusual display of unity on the issue of transportation funding, the three heads of state government on Thursday stood together in backing a proposal to allow a region's voters to raise a 1-cent sales tax for projects in that region.

“This approach allows those that are closest to the situation to coordinate with their neighbors in developing a plan that can unlock opportunities and growth in our local economies,” Gov. Sonny Perdue said at a news conference in his office, flanked by Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and House Speaker David Ralston. “No county is an island, no community is an island.”

Cagle called the plan “visionary.” Ralston said afterward that there were no remaining differences on significant issues, although a bill with all the specifics had not yet been introduced.

The devil is in the details on this issue, but the three seemed to have dispensed with the most significant difference that has dragged down the legislation at times in the past two years: whether the tax should be regional or statewide.

The funding proposal Perdue and his staff have outlined so far would provide for referendums in each region of the state on the tax and on a list of projects. That vote would occur in 2012, on the day of the presidential primaries.

Although a region’s tax would be collected only in that region, the state would get a significant say in which projects are put to the voters. Perdue would not say how significant, only that “I wouldn’t use the word veto power.” A lone county would not be able to opt out of the region and its tax or switch regions. The tax would run for eight years, then go back to the voters for renewal.

Sam Williams, president of the Metro Atlanta Chamber, said the joint announcement was “great news.” He wasn’t ready to pronounce judgment on how much the state controlled the project list, saying only, “That’s something that we’re going to read in the details.”

The proposal would not come in time to save MARTA from drastic budget cuts in the next fiscal year or to save Clayton County’s bus system from complete shutdown scheduled for March 31. In fact, Perdue said he knew of no way the state could forestall those events. But his proposal would give MARTA some flexibility it has long sought with its budget, temporarily lifting a requirement that MARTA equally divide its sales-tax revenue from a 1-cent tax from DeKalb and Fulton counties between capital and operating expenses, for three years.

In another indication of a new day between Perdue and House leaders, Ralston earlier in the day announced a proposal to act on a pet peeve of Perdue's, the Department of Transportation board's flouting of outside officials. Last month, the board decided to change its accounting practices in defiance of the state auditor and in spite of legislation that may have allowed the department to accomplish the same thing.  Ralston said shorter or fewer terms would bring more "accountability" to the board.  Board members Bobby Parham and David Doss, who led the board in its accounting decision, have said the board's independence was established to protect control of highway money from politicians.

Ralston said he would support measures to bring the board under stricter ethics rules and to limit their terms, which currently run five years with no term limits.