Clayton County finally has a means to restore transit service residents have craved for four years.
The problem is, county leaders aren’t sure what to do with it. And they don’t have much time to figure it out.
At the request of the Board of Commissioners, Clayton delegates sponsored a bill in the General Assembly that allows residents to vote on whether to pay a sales tax for transit on top of the existing 6 percent sales tax. A full-penny transit tax — the most expansive option on the table — could raise $49 million a year. That’s enough money to bring back local bus service that the county eliminated in 2010 and add possibly add heavy or commuter rail.
The bill passed both chambers with overwhelming support and is awaiting the governor’s signature.
But the Board of Commissioners has less than three months to set a referendum in motion. And that has transit advocates fretting that the county may miss its chance to create a stable, long-term funding source for transit.
Last week, the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter and Citizens for Progressive Transit issued a press release raising the alarm about the situation.
“A lot of things have to happen very quickly or else this tool in Clayton county’s toolbox goes away,” warned Lee Biola, chairman of Citizens for Progressive Transit.
The way the law was written, the referendum must be held during this year’s Nov. 4 general election. If not, the opportunity essentially expires.
What’s more, commissioners only have until July 7 to vote to hold the transit referendum this fall. Otherwise, they’ll run afoul of another provision in the law, which requires the election to be called 120 days in advance.
The county would also have to negotiate a service contract with a transit provider before the election.
Commission Chairman Jeff Turner said he’s aware of the tight timeline and assured those who are fretting that the commission intends to call the vote by July.
In the meantime, the county is waiting on the results of a transit feasibility study. Tindale-Oliver Associates, which was awarded the $148,220 contract in February, plans a series of public meetings to ask residents what form of transit service they favor.
“It is time-sensitive, and we are leery of that. But at the same time I want to make sure we get out as many voters as possible to hear their input,” Turner said.
HB 1009 was introduced mid-session with little fanfare, and many locals and transit advocates hadn’t expected it to pass. Riverdale Mayor Evelyn Winn Dixon said everybody she knew thought the bill would die. Dixon, who is known for her folksy manner, joked: “I was so surprised, it was as if they gave me a boyfriend.”
The serendipity of the bill’s passage may explain why, even now, some of those who advocated for it disagree on exactly what it does.
According to Turner, it’s unclear whether the law would only let Claytonites join MARTA, or would allow them to start their own transit system or contract with a private transit provider.
Biola, who is an attorney familiar with the MARTA Act, said MARTA is the sole option, because the only sales tax for transit authorized under state law is under that statute.
The sponsor of the Clayton bill, Rep. Mike Glanton, D-Jonesboro, concurred that MARTA is the only option. But he differed with a MARTA lawyer on the specifics of the tax.
Glanton said residents could choose a quarter-penny, half-penny or full-penny tax. But the MARTA lawyer said there is no quarter-penny option, and a half-penny tax wouldn’t entitle Clayton to a seat on the MARTA board or be enough to fund rail service.
Meanwhile, Turner said the county attorney is consulting with MARTA’s attorney to clarify whether, as he believes, the bill creates options other than joining MARTA. He said the county should have an answer within a few days.
Glanton responded that any strategy that bypasses MARTA is a no-go. “The delegation did exactly what the commission asked us to do, and now … they are trying to expand their options, but they cannot do it under this particular legislation.”
The lawmaker said he hopes the county will choose to hold the referendum on MARTA and not let the opportunity afforded by the legislation pass. Not realizing this opportunity would risk state and federal support for future projects, he said.
MARTA CEO Keith Parker declined to comment on whether Clayton should join MARTA while the county is still researching the question.
The referendum appears to have a good chance of passage. Four years ago, 67 percent of Clayton voters approved joining MARTA in a nonbinding referendum.
“The time for talking is over,” said Glanton. “It’s a time for doing.”
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