Atlanta Beltline construction could pick up steam as lawmakers approved a bill Thursday that allows the greenspace project to use public-private partnerships for its transit plans.
Senate Bill 4, sponsored by Sen. Steve Gooch, R-Dahlonega, passed the Senate by 46 to 1, and House by 166 to 2.
Its passage came after lawmakers and lobbyists for the Beltline and AT&T reached a compromise Thursday over whether a local government would be required to reimburse a utility company for moving its equipment during construction.
The bill had reached an impasse in recent weeks after Rep. Mark Hamilton, R-Cumming, chairman of the House Industry and Labor Committee, tacked on an amendment backed by AT&T that would have required such reimbursement.
AT&T officials believe ratepayers across the state shouldn’t fund what they say are predominantly local economic development — not solely transportation — projects. But Beltline supporters, including Mayor Kasim Reed, say the reimbursement provision would violate long-standing agreements that require utilities to move equipment for major infrastructure projects in the public right-of-way.
The conflict stems from a lawsuit AT&T filed in January seeking to recoup $5.8 million it spent moving lines to make way for the Atlanta Streetcar, a separate city project. City officials say they're not obligated to reimburse the company for this type of work.
Under the final version, lawmakers stripped the reimbursement language — a win for Atlanta leaders who also say such a requirement would be cost-prohibitive. Atlanta leaders are also cheering their ability to now pursue public-private partnerships under the bill, saying such deals will accelerate completion of the Beltline and its transit component.
The Beltline will only be able to pursue a public-private partnership through this law within a half-mile of its corridor. That restriction is a win for AT&T, because the Beltline is largely built on private land, and utility companies are typically reimbursed for moving equipment on private property.
The original bill was problematic for AT&T because it would have allowed the city to use the public-private partnership financing to expand the light rail system in a downtown corridor, on public streets, where it says the cost of relocating lines is most expensive.
The compromise doesn’t resolve the existing lawsuit AT&T filed against the city in January over its expenses in the streetcar project. Utility companies and city officials will still have to work out reimbursement issues for projects built on public streets.
Beth Shiroishi, president of AT&T Georgia, thanked the lawmakers appointed to the conference committee for helping reach a compromise. “We are pleased that we were able to find a mutually agreeable solution.”
Paul Morris, CEO of Atlanta Beltline Inc., the nonprofit overseeing the project, did the same: “The support that the Atlanta Beltline has received from Sen. Gooch, as well as members of the House and Senate, has been invaluable in moving this bill forward.”
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