Today, more than 2 million workers support metro Atlanta’s economy, a number which is projected to more than double over the next three decades. Because these workers live and commute to their jobs all across this region, we know that our economic prosperity is linked to our ability to promote reliable, cost-effective commute options for the nearly 50 percent of metro Atlanta workers who leave their home county to get to their jobs.
One effective way to accomplish this goal is through efficient transit services that help commuters get from point A to point B at the lowest possible subsidy from Georgia’s taxpayers. Right now, though, metro Atlanta’s multiple transit entities operate essentially independently, as an inadequately coordinated set of systems that are geographically constrained to serving only small areas of the larger and growing region.
Additionally, these transit systems need strategic coordination and vision to achieve long-term, economic outcomes for the region as a whole.
To explore this important issue, Gov. Nathan Deal created the Transit Governance Task Force, calling upon a group of 13 state and local elected officials to bring back recommendations for a path forward. I co-chaired this effort with my colleague, state Rep. Donna Sheldon, R-Dacula.
Following numerous meetings with the public, transit stakeholders and industry experts, as well as healthy deliberation, the task force concluded that commuters and taxpayers alike would benefit from the presence of a transit governance entity to provide coordination, oversight and strategy for metro Atlanta’s transit operators.
Part “head coach” and part “referee” among the team of transit operators, this entity would focus on outcomes, data-driven benchmarks, route streamlining, long-term infrastructure investments, and accountability and transparency to Georgia’s taxpayers. And it would be the region’s unified voice to the state and federal government regarding the transit priorities of metropolitan Atlanta.
The task force recommends creating the Transit Governance Council. Directed primarily by local elected officials, this council would be housed within the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) and charged with administering the tasks associated with transit governance. The GRTA Board, whose membership would now also include appointments by the speaker of the House and the lieutenant governor, would provide limited oversight of the council and serve as a state partner to the region.
I appreciate Gov. Deal’s leadership in casting a light on this important issue and bringing a great group of people together to advance the discussion. The recommendations of the task force now move to the next step — the state legislative process — where I look forward to the many new thoughts and ideas my fellow legislators may propose as we work toward an effective solution for Georgia’s taxpayers and commuters.
State Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, is chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee.
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