T-SPLOST Meeting Slated June 13 via Telephone

By Sara Ray, Douglas County Chamber

On June 1, Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) planning director, Todd Long, transmitted an "unconstrained list" of priority transportation projects to the Atlanta Region Transportation Roundtable to be considered for inclusion in a set of investments that voters will decide whether to fund through a 10-year, penny sales tax referendum in July 2012.

The broad list of $22.9 billion worth of transportation priorities were identified by local governments, transit agencies and other organizations throughout the 10-county Atlanta region, with additional input from GDOT. Now, in accord with the Transportation Investment Act, the Roundtable of local officials will narrow the list of projects down to a financially constrained list that can be built with the revenue generated by the sales tax, estimated to generate some $8 billion.

A five member Executive Committee of the Roundtable will recommend a draft financially constrained list to the total 21 member Roundtable by August 15. The Roundtable has until October 15, 2011 to adopt the final financially constrained project list. A referendum will be held throughout the metro Atlanta region on July 31, 2012 when voters will decide whether to add a 1% sales tax to fund the specific projects adopted by the Roundtable.

Some 445 projects throughout the 10-county Atlanta area made it to the “unconstrained list” that the Roundtable will hone down to a financially feasible list. The final or “constrained” list of projects that will go before voters will likely include:

· Road improvements and safety projects
· Additional transit options
· Maintenance and improvement of existing facilities, as well as new projects · Projects that will benefit the entire region, as well as local improvements that help individual communities.

Douglas County had more than a dozen roadway and bike/pedestrian construction projects included in the unconstrained list. No specific transit expenditures were included in the list of Douglas County projects. The total approximate cost to construct all Douglas County projects is approximately $550 million.

County residents, are not included in the roughly $550 million of Douglas County projects. However, included in the Douglas County project list was $149 million in improvements to the I-285/I-20 intersection in Fulton County, which has a significant impact on Douglas County commuters.

Over the next four months, the Roundtable will conduct the largest public outreach effort ever undertaken in the Atlanta region. To kick it off, more than one million households throughout the region will be invited to participate in “telephone town hall” meetings in June. In these county by county town hall meetings, participants have the chance to make suggestions and ask questions of their two local Roundtable representatives, their county commission chair and a mayor from their county regarding priority transportation needs.

Douglas County’s “telephone town hall” meeting will be Monday, June 13 at 7:15 p.m.

To participate in the “telephone town hall” meeting, call 1-888-886-6603  and enter PIN:16718F to voice your opinion.  

For more information visit www.atlantaregionalroundtable.com/meetings.html or contact the DC Chamber at 770-942-5022.