Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said Thursday he hopes metro area residents will get to vote this year on legislation that would a penny-per-dollar sales tax to fund transportation improvements.
The mayor made the remarks to the Atlanta Press Club. Reed, a former state senator, pushed state lawmakers last year to pass a transportation bill that would allow a voter referendum on the sales tax. It did not pass.
Some state leaders, including Gov. Sonny Perdue, support legislation that would set a referendum in 2012. Reed hopes Perdue and the Legislature pass legislation that allows the referendum to come before voters this year. The mayor said the city and region desperately needs the estimated $790 million a year the tax could produce to fund transportation improvements.
"Our traffic is hurting us," Reed said.
Atlanta is considered one of the worst cities in the nation in regards to traffic congestion, which many city leaders say discourages some businesses from operating here.
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