Fresh from the successful referendum for a three-quarter-cent sales tax in Fulton County to pay for road improvements, Sandy Springs is urging the county to now get the ball rolling on transit.
The Sandy Springs City Council has passed a resolution calling on the Fulton Board of Commissioners to initiate legislation in the General Assembly allowing a referendum on a quarter-penny sales tax for mass transit.
The resolution is the result of quarterly meetings between Fulton mayors and County Commission, a Sandy Springs spokeswoman said. It calls for changing current law to allow the tax for public transportation and to extend the term of the tax so it can be used for the bonding of transit capital improvements. The aim is to put the question on the 2018 ballot.
Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul said “there is unanimity among the group that transit is a part of the solution to the area’s transportation issues,” the spokeswoman said. “The discussion now focuses on what kind of transit and where, and the cities and county need consensus before moving forward with a vote.”
In November, voters in Fulton County outside Atlanta approved a Transportation Special Purpose Local Optional Sales Tax of three-quarters of a cent. Up to $655 million for road projects is expected to be raised over five years.
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