This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

Voters Guide to the Georgia TSPLOST: Viewpoints

Dave Williams, former Suwanee mayor, and Ron Williams of the Georgia Taxpayers Alliance voice their views on T-SPLOST.

Updated 1:00 p.m., May 3

Second of two articles.

Suwanee Patch asked former Suwanee mayor Dave Williams and the Gwinnett Coordinator for Georgia Taxpayers Alliance, Ron Williams, to answer three essential questions about their viewpoints.

Find out what's happening in Suwaneewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

What are the positions of the supporters for the tax?
Dave Williams, now VP of Transportation at the Metro Atlanta Chamber, supports the tax. “Staying put is not a recipe for success long-term,” says Williams. “We have to help ourselves, and we can’t depend on money from Washington. This is a way to fund needed transportation investments without debt.” Williams also mentions that other regions the Atlanta metro area competes with for businesses and jobs have already started taking measures like this, including Charlotte, Denver, Seattle, Phoenix, and St. Louis.  Williams says that if approved by the voters, funding is available for a  “limited time frame for a specific list of projects with accountability. Reimbursements are only given after the project is completed.”

Question 1: What are the top three reasons why voters should select 'yes' for TSPLOST?

Find out what's happening in Suwaneewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

1. More jobs. The construction sector has been the hardest-hit during the great recession. The investment will help create and support 34,000 jobs in this critical sector by 2040. Additional modeling supports the creation of an additional 200,000 jobs, including those jobs that are maintained year-over-year. Of the new or supported jobs, almost two-thirds of these jobs are in mid to high-paying job sectors.

2. Improved quality of life through more time at home. This is an important factor for attracting new employers to the area. Employers are looking for regions to show that they have a plan.

3. Less traffic. There will be a 24 percent average decrease
in future travel delays for roadways improved with referendum funding. These improvements include road widenings, new construction and improved interchanges. That’s important because there will be 580,000 daily transit trips in 2025, compared to 417,000 today.

Question 2: How are supporters organizing for the vote?

We will use phone calls, door to door visits, mailers and social media. We encourage supporters to help by looking for volunteer information at
yesonjuly31.com and  untieatlanta.com . The Georgia Transportation Alliance is heading the up the effort in the other 11 regions under the ”Connect Georgia Campaign”.

Question 3: If the vote does not pass, how do you believe the region should handle ongoing transportation needs? 

Today we are basically funded by the gas tax, which is a declining resource because people are getting better mileage and drive fewer miles.  We are totally focused on making sure voters understand what their options are on July 31. If voters understand the situation we are in and the opportunity to we have to solve it then they will vote yes. 

The population of the region will continue to grow so we need to make the needed improvements. TSPLOST is a very responsible and conservative approach.

There will be a citizens oversight panel that will responsible for following projects and reporting status on collections and projects. This gives a lot of transparency and accountability.

What are the positions of the opponents for the tax?
Ron Williams, of the Georgia Taxpayers Alliance and a Gwinnett resident, opposes the tax.”We are planning to educate the public as to why they should vote no for the referendum,” Williams says. “We feel like transportation is a local matter, not regional.” His group would like to see a plan for operation and maintenance of roads, and they don’t want to see Gwinnett taxpayers spending money that will help other counties fix their transportation issues. “It’s about home rule and we should be deciding how to spend our own tax money locally,” says Williams.

Question1: What are the top three reasons why voters should select 'no' for TSPLOST?

1. TIA forces counties to become “donor” counties for Fulton and Atlanta projects. County taxpayers are forced to pay for state and federal road projects. This regionalization of the vote undermines the constitutional right of “home rule” where local governments determine their fate. Citizens of Gwinnett are taxed enough already. If TIA passes, voters will be less likely to approve local sales tax (SPLOST & E-SPLOST) for needed projects.   

2. There are no guarantees that projects promised on the TIA list will be funded or completed. Once the state has the money, it can be shifted among projects, counties and regions. Studies have not been conducted to determine the feasibility of many of the projects on the list. No one can explain where the maintenance and operation funds will come from for the listed projects. We foresee future tax increases.

3. Voters are skeptical of promises of traffic solutions. The HOT lane debacle is a good example of how the government will throw money at a problem with no solution. No one can say after spending $8.5 billion and 10 years of construction how much less time commuters will spend in traffic.

Question 2: How are opponents organizing for the vote?

Georgia Taxpayers Alliance will use grassroots activism and techniques such as editorial letter writing, social media, blogs, flyers, rallies, demonstrations and attending public meetings to encourage voters to turn out against the tax. We are organizing in the 10 county metro-Atlanta area to get the “NO” vote out. Get more information at http://tsplost.wordpress.com/.

Question 3: If the vote does not pass, how do you believe the region should handle ongoing transportation needs?

Contrary to what the pro-tax advocates say, there is a Plan-B. The TIA law allows for the referendum to be called again in two years. This was designed to allow feasibility studies and reconsideration of projects. The state can also use the fuel and other taxes/tolls to continue with road construction and repairs as they have done for decades. Also, counties can hold Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) referendums dedicated to transportation. These taxes can raise tens of millions in revenue each year, and local governments and citizens can have more control. Existing public transportation systems are underutilized and subsidized at about 85 percent. Once current alternatives are used we can then consider expanding them or consider new options in the future.

Where can voters get more information on T-SPLOST?

  1. Follow community reaction and conversation on Patch.
  2. Read the Atlanta Regional Roundtable final report.
  3. View a map of proposed projects in Gwinnett County.
  4. Read the State DOT referendum fact sheet

.

Don’t miss any Suwanee news. Subscribe to Suwanee Patch’s free newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Suwanee