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Ask GA legislators to fund public transportation

From Emory's Clifton Community Partnership:  "a number of organizations in which many of you have been involved have worked tirelessly over the past three years to advocate for state legislation that would lead to a funding source to address the critical transportation needs in Metro Atlanta and throughout the State. While a funding bill has failed to pass each time, we simply cannot allow that to happen again.  With only seven legislative days left in this year’s session, I urge you to help convince the Georgia General Assembly to support legislation that would lead to a funding source to address the paralyzing gridlock that has come to define the Atlanta region.  We cannot wait another year for action---transportation funding legislation MUST pass this session! 

A House and Senate Conference Committee has been appointed to produce a compromise bill and the next few days will be critical.  The Committee will be meeting on Monday, April 12, and could vote it out by next Wednesday.  Below are four important talking points prepared by a statewide coalition of organizations in which I have been involved, for you to use when contacting the six key legislators serving on the Conference Committee. These legislators need to hear from as many people as possible by phone or email, and their names and contact information follows the talking points below. 
 
Please contact these legislators on behalf of your organization and/or individually before Monday and let them know you support a Regional Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (T-SPLOST) proposal that would ask voters to approve a penny regional sales tax for a 10-year time period, with a specific list of transportation improvements published in the referendum. The funding this legislation would allow could be used for transit projects as well as roads and other improvements in the Metro region and the State and could alleviate congestion in the Clifton Corridor by providing alternatives to the single occupancy vehicle.
 
Many thanks for your help!
 
Betty
 

 
TRANSPORTATION TALKING POINTS
CALLS TO KEY LEGISLATIVE LEADERS
These are issues that we’d like to see addressed in a bill to help ensure a (T-SPLOST) can pass with the voters:
 
    1. Project selection
      Strong regional input on the selection and approval of the list of transit/road projects is critical with appropriate state oversight. Citizens need to know that their local elected officials are supportive of the best regional solutions.
       
    2. Transit maintenance and operations
      Transit maintenance and operations must be included in the list of allowable project expenditures.
       
    3. Local vs. regional project funding
      Counties should be allowed to keep part of the regional sales tax for local transportation projects but this amount should be limited to 10%. Some legislators wanted 25% but this would make big regional projects difficult to finance. Taxes raised in the region STAY in the region!
       
    4. Referendum date
      The timing for a regional referendum to approve the sales tax should be flexible within limits so that local leaders can identify the best time to bring this issue to the polls. Some have suggested, for example, that referenda be permitted no earlier than the first eligible date in 2011 and no later than the last eligible date in 2012.
       
  1. We support the Governor’s proposal to allow MARTA to spend more of their current penny sales tax on maintenance and operations to prevent shutdowns on weekends or more service cuts. Current state law will not allow MARTA to spend more than half the penny on maintenance and operations.
Contacts for House and Senate Conferees
Rep. Jay Roberts (R-Ocilla), chair of the House Transportation Committee, jay.roberts@house.ga.gov, 404-656-7153
Rep. Jerry Keen (R-St. Simons and Sea Island), jerry.keen@house.ga.gov, 404-656-5052
Rep. Donna Sheldon (R-Gwinnett), donna.sheldon@house.ga.gov, 404-656-5025
Sen. Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga), chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, jeff.mullis@senate.ga.gov, 404-656-0057
Sen. Preston Smith (R-Rome), preston.smith@senate.ga.gov, 404-656-0034
Sen. Tommie Williams (R-Lyons), tommie.williams@senate.ga.gov, 404-656-0089