MARTA expansion bill excludes DeKalb
An effort to expand MARTA in DeKalb County isn't moving forward at the Georgia General Assembly.
The legislation, House Bill 1144, would have allowed DeKalb residents to vote next year on a half-percent sales tax to fund MARTA's growth in the county.
A similar bill to extend MARTA in Fulton County passed the Georgia House of Representatives on a 159-4 vote Wednesday.
Projects in DeKalb could have included a light rail system along the Emory/Clifton Corridor and a heavy rail extension along Interstate 20 to Stonecrest Mall.
Rep. Howard Mosby, the sponsor of HB1144, said he and other MARTA supporters in DeKalb will have to wait until next year.
The bill didn’t get a hearing after it was assigned to the House Transportation Committee this week. Mosby wanted the bill to be treated as local legislation that could have moved forward with the support of county lawmakers.
“I’m disappointed. DeKalb County doesn’t want to lag behind the other regional partners in improving transportation,” said Mosby, D-Atlanta.
About the Author
Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.
