Legislature ignores good funding ideas

When the Transportation Investment Act (also known as T-SPLOST) referendum failed last July, voters expressed their extreme disappointment and mistrust of the state Legislature. The latest attempt at ethics reform, complete with king-sized exemptions for lobbyists, will do little to restore public trust.

Sen. Josh McKoon deserves a pat on the back for attempting to tame a group of legislators who flourish on free expensive dinners, trips to resorts, sports tickets, golf outings and generous helpings of booze. The citizens are paying attention.

After T-SPLOST was soundly defeated, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed told us more chairs would be added around the transportation table, and the process would be more inclusive. It now appears the invitation has been withdrawn almost as if we are being punished for not supporting a poorly constructed transportation package.

Many T-SPLOST opponents were hoping for substantive change in this year’s General Assembly on how we do transportation.

Unfortunately, state political and business leaders chose not to do anything at all.

To make matters worse, Sen. John Albers’ SB 73 was marked “dead on arrival.” This bill would have eliminated the 30 percent T-SPLOST penalty — the requirement for an increased local match for road funds in regions that failed to pass T-SPLOST. I cannot imagine a better way to antagonize metro voters than to continue to punish them for voting in a state-mandated referendum.

Rep. Ed Setzler’s HB 195 was widely supported by transportation advocates, allowing for special districts to be formed through intergovernmental agreement of two or more counties whose boundaries are contiguous. This innovative approach would have enabled the dense urban core counties to form their own “region” and facilitate mass transit projects.

Many are amazed HB 195 could not get off the ground, because it provided core-county transit opportunities without the financial burden falling on the outer ring of less dense suburban counties. Likewise, the outer counties would have been allowed to participate in road projects with neighboring counties outside the Atlanta Regional Commission.

Another blow to innovative transportation funding was the lack of movement on Sen. Judson Hill’s SB 99 and Rep. John Carson’s HB 153 advocating for fractional sales taxes. Combined with HB 195, counties could join sub-regionally and raise the precise amount of tax revenue needed to construct various road or transit projects. A county could have multiple agreements and still not exceed a 1 percent sales tax increase. Again, the Legislature refused to let a good idea get in their way.

The lack of action by political and business leaders eliminated ways to resolve our transportation challenges. Metro Atlanta commuters were the biggest losers.

While we endure financial penalties for voting our conscience, state political leaders tell us they are taking their ball and going home. They tell us it is their way or no way at all.

Public trust in our leadership has further eroded.