The plans are on the table.
Leaders of 13 cities and Fulton County agreed Thursday that they would sign a contract that will put a proposed sales tax increase of less than one cent — three quarters of a penny — on the November ballot.
If it passes, it will be the first time Fulton County has been able to dedicate sales tax money to transportation improvements.
Getting to this point is "pretty historic" said Fulton County Vice Chairman Liz Hausmann. Before reaching the agreement, cities and the county had squabbled over how any money might be distributed and how much of a tax they should try to levy, as well as MARTA's place in the proceedings.
“The biggest accomplishment is that all the cities in Fulton County are singing off the same sheet of music,” said Todd Long, Fulton’s chief operating officer.
A new state law required all of the entities to agree on the referendum before it could be placed on the ballot. If approved, the tax will provide up to $655 million to spend on transportation needs in the county.
The bulk of the money, just more than a third, would go to congestion relief projects, like road widenings.
Other large categories of spending include operations and safety (which includes improving intersections and traffic signals) at 23 percent; maintenance and safety enhancements (like resurfacing roads and repairing guardrails) at 19 percent; and pedestrian and other streetscape improvements (like bike lanes and sidewalks) at 15 percent. The rest of the money will go toward repairing and replacing bridges, quick projects like filling potholes and managing the projects. A small amount also will go to the Fulton County Airport and to paying down debt.
“It’s a systemic approach,” Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul said. “Congestion relief is a moving target.”
Atlanta plans to have its own, separate referendum this fall, that will include a half-penny sales tax dedicated toward expanding MARTA. Faye DiMassimo, manager of the Renew Atlanta infrastructure program, said the city council may vote later this month on its own project list.
The Fulton County commission must approve the referendum after all the cities sign the agreement later this month. Following that, an education campaign will begin to inform voters about the various projects on the cities’ lists.
“As an individual, I will be a strong advocate,” Roswell Mayor Jere Wood said.
Wood also pressed the mayors to meet in the months after the vote to discuss another referendum that would call for a .25-cent sales tax increase to go toward MARTA expansion. MARTA Chairman Robbie Ashe, who was at the meeting, said he was conscious of not trying to interfere with the current vote, but was “ready, willing and able when you deem it appropriate.”
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