MARTA’s next stop might be Clayton County

All aboard MARTA … in Clayton County?

It could happen, depending on the outcome of a potentially historic vote Tuesday evening. That’s when Clayton commissioners will decide whether to put a MARTA referendum on the ballot in November.

Clayton residents have turned out in droves at recent public meetings to express support for moving metro Atlanta’s heavy rail and bus service beyond Fulton and DeKalb counties for the first time in its existence.

As the only core metro county without local bus service, and as an area with one of the highest percentages of households without a vehicle, Clayton has a lot riding on a MARTA expansion.

But funding the change would require a sales tax increase. If commissioners vote for the referendum — and the expectation is they will — they’ll also have to decide the extent of a tax hike: a full penny would finance rail and bus service; half a penny would pay for buses only.

Read the full story by staff writer Andria Simmons on our premium website, myajc.com, and come back this evening for the results of the vote.

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Andria Simmons

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