There’s a process in place that will determine which transportation projects will be funded in Georgia through 2012.
The Transportation Investment Act (TIA), established by the General Assembly in 2010, allows voters to decide the future of Georgia’s transportation. The TIA divides the state into 12 regions, and each region will vote on whether they want to add a penny sales tax for 10 years to fund transportation projects in their own region. All money collected in a region will stay in that region.
The TIA created a regional roundtable in each of the state’s 12 regions, and the Roundtable’s main objective is to create a list of projects to be funded by the tax if it passes. This list will be constructed by the Roundtable’s Executive Committee, which will be reviewed and approved by the full Roundtable before going to voters in July, 2012.
Georgians for Passenger Rail is supporting an initial passenger rail line from Macon to Atlanta. This would be the first segment of an eventual rail line that will link cities around the state and region. Because this rail line will pass through 3 of the state’s 12 regions — Atlanta, Three Rivers and Middle Georgia — all three Regional Roundtables must support the proposed rail line.
The Atlanta region consists of 10 counties: Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale. Click here for more information on the Atlanta Regional Roundtable and to see a list of its members.
The Three Rivers Regional Commission is a 10-county regional planning commission that covers west central Georgia, and includes Butts, Carroll, Coweta, Heard, Lamar, Meriwether, Pike, Spalding, Troup, and Upson counties. For more information on its Roundtable and members, click here.
The Middle Georgia Regional Roundtable consists of 11 counties in Central Georgia including Baldwin, Bibb (including the city of Macon), Crawford, Houston, Jones, Monroe, Peach, Pulaski, Putnam, Twiggs, and Wilkinson counties. For more information on the Middle Georgia Roundtable and its members, click here.
What’s Next for the Regional Roundtables?
In June, after considering all the projects and measuring them against the criteria, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) gives its “unconstrained” list, meaning no financial limitations, to each Roundtable’s Executive Committee for its consideration.
In August, after evaluating the region’s needs and soliciting public opinion, each region’s Executive Committee will submit a financially constrained list to its Roundtable. This is a list of projects that could realistically be funded by the expected tax revenue. Then, in October, each Roundtable submits its final list to GDOT.
Voters get their say in July, 2012, when the public will vote on the referendum in the general primary election.
What Can You Do to Help?
Let everyone know you support passenger rail. The Atlanta Regional Roundtable is soliciting opinions on project. Click here to take the survey. You will see “Complete this brief survey” on the right in the beige column. In the place to comment on projects outside your area, please write: “I support the Macon-to-Atlanta rail line as the first step in a state and regional rail network.” The survey is open until May 15.
