Q: What’s this thing called?
A: To find resources, pick your acronym: T-SPLOST (Remember this one, it's on the ballot); TIA (Transportation Investment Act of 2010, the law that set up the referendum); RTR (Regional Transportation Referendum). Do not spend brain space to remember the real name, as written in the law: Special District Transportation Sales and Use Tax. (SDTSUT?) Nobody calls it that.
Q: Who votes?
A: In the Atlanta region, all voters in the 10-county region – Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, and Rockdale – vote together.
Q: If the tax fails in one county, but passes in the region overall, do that county’s taxpayers still have to pay?
A: Yes. For the first time, the region will vote as a region and be taxed, or not, as a region.
Q: How much will the tax raise?
A: According to predictions by the state economist, it would raise $7.2 billion over 10 years, in 2011 dollars. With inflation, that’s $8.5 billion.
Q: How much of that would be spent on transportation?
A: According to the law, all of it. Most, 85 percent, would go towards a regional list of specific projects that was drawn up last year. That’s $6.14 billion pre-inflation. A smaller portion, 15 percent, would be up to cities and counties to spend on transportation however they choose. That’s $1.1 billion pre-inflation.
Q: What’s in the metro Atlanta list?
A: Just over 48 percent of the money goes to roads, and just under 52 percent goes to trains and buses. A little bit goes to trails and bicycle/pedestrian projects. To see details on all 157 projects, see the websites below.
Q: Is there money included in the list for operating the transportation projects?
A: According to the Atlanta Regional Commission, each mass transit project includes money to operate the project for 10 years after its construction. Road and bridge projects typically don't need to be significantly re-paved and repaired until more than a decade later, so maintenance money for them is not included.
Q: Who wrote the list?
A: A group of 21 county commissioners and mayors from all 10 counties chose the list last year, as per state law. Each project had to come from some previously existing project list or strategic plan.
Q: Could the transportation tax money be diverted to other things, like the Ga. 400 toll money has been?
A: All it took to divert the surplus Ga. 400 toll money was approval of the State Road and Tollway Authority’s leaders – a board and staff led by the Georgia governor. In contrast, state law mandates that the transportation referendum tax money be spent on transportation. The regional 85 percent must be spent on the list of projects, and there is a citizens’ review panel to watch over that. There are fewer guidelines for the 15 percent that goes to local governments, but by law, it, too, must be spent only on transportation.
Q: How long will the tax go?
A: By law, tax collection ends either at 10 years, or when the predicted revenues are raised, whichever comes first. At that point, it will be up to voters to decide whether to renew the tax, if government leaders ask them to. (Hint: As things stand it’s a good bet they’ll ask them to.)
Q: Could politicians simply continue collecting the transportation tax after 10 years if they want, like they extended the Ga. 400 toll that was supposed to expire?
A: That would be illegal. To extend the tax legally without popular vote would apparently take a new law, a vote of the General Assembly – which was unwilling to raise the tax in the first place. In contrast, all it took to extend the Ga. 400 toll was a vote of the State Road and Tollway Authority board, and the state Transportation Board’s extension of SRTA’s lease on the road.
Q: What happens if the referendum fails?
A: The law says the region can vote again in two years – with a big “if.” Voters can vote again, if the Legislature green-lights a new vote. State leaders have recently voiced skepticism that they’d allow a do-over of a failed process. In the mean time, any region whose referendum fails will suffer mild penalties in road funding, having to pony up a bigger share for some local road projects that are co-funded with the state.
Q: Is Atlanta the only region voting?
A: No. The entire state has been divided into 12 regions. Each is voting on its own regional tax for its own projects.
Q: Why do this?
A: Advocates say the Atlanta region is at a tipping point because of traffic congestion and lack of mobility options. We are already losing jobs to other cities because of traffic, and the state’s transportation funding per capita is second-lowest in the nation.
Q: Why not do this?
A: Opponents generally say something needs to be done, but this isn’t it. From the right, they say the project list is too heavy on mass transit, and transit won’t help enough commuters. From the left, they say there’s not enough transit, and maybe if this fails the region will vote for a new list with more transit, or all transit.
Q: Where can I learn more?
A: AJC resources and unparalleled coverage:
Nonpartisan:
“Education” campaign:
Campaign to pass the tax:
Campaigns against the tax:
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