At the end of the day, my decision to vote “Yes” for the T-SPLOST boils down to something pretty simple.
On July 31st I could vote for the T-SPLOST because people I trust tell me I should.
Or, I could vote yes because I’m weary of having to plan errands and meetings to avoid traffic snarls. Or, I could vote yes for the T-SPLOST because we need the jobs that will be created with the $8.5 billion in transportation projects it will fund.
Or, I could vote yes because T-SPLOST funds can reverse the trend of metro Atlanta and Georgia losing millions in matching federal funds for transportation improvements each year.
Or, I could vote yes because T-SPLOST funds can help to strengthen our sagging economic competitiveness as a national and international business hub.
Or, I could vote yes because improved roads and transit will allow people to get where they need to be when they need to be there.
Or, I could vote yes because we have staggering backlogs of transportation maintenance and new project needs all around the state that continue to grow.
Or, I could vote yes because we have to find a way to provide more driving, walking, biking, and transit options for all of us .
However, I won’t vote yes for any of these reasons, although each is solid and compelling. I won’t vote yes for T-SPLOST because I love taxes, or because I believe it is a silver bullet that will magically correct all of our congestion ills, or because I am enthusiastic about every single one of the well-vetted list of projects that T-SPLOST will fund.
I will vote yes simply because I believe in my community, metro Atlanta and Georgia. I live here and plan to for the rest of my days. As a beneficiary of forward-looking, tough decisions and major infrastructure investments by generations of Georgia taxpayers before me, I will vote yes for the future of this region.
Perhaps someday opponents of T-SPLOST will advance a better way to tackle and fund the very complicated and expensive business of supporting our economy and desired lifestyles. There will be plenty of need for future funding, too. Until then, however, I salute the folks who have slogged through the analysis and inelegant negotiations that led to the T-SPLOST idea. This process we call democracy gives us a chance to invest in our future.
Helen Preston Tapp, of Sandy Springs, is a land, transportation and environmental planner and policy analyst.
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