Thursday, August 2, 2012
© Copyright 2013
Rockdale Citizen
CONYERS -- Proponents of the special purpose local option sales tax for transportation say that a new plan is needed to address transportation issues following failure of the T-SPLOST referendum on Tuesday.
The T-SPLOST for the Atlanta region was a "no go" in all 10 counties in the region, including Rockdale, where the 10-year 1 percent sales tax for transportation was rejected by 69.6 percent of the voters in Tuesday's primary elections.
According to the Secretary of State's office, T-SPLOST got its biggest no in the region in Cherokee County, where more than 79 percent of voters were opposed. The margin was closer in both Fulton and DeKalb counties, where 51.8 percent and 51.3 percent of voters, respectively, voted against the referendum. Other county results were Clayton County, 53.5 percent no; Cobb County, 68.8 percent no; Douglas, 67.9 percent no; Fayette County, 76.4 percent no; Gwinnett County, 70.8 percent no; and Henry County, 71.3 percent no.
The referendum fared little better throughout the state, losing in nine of the 12 regions that voted on the tax.
The Conyers-Rockdale Chamber of Commerce had taken a position in favor of the T-SPLOST. On Thursday, President Fred Boscarino said in a statement that leaders will have to come up with another plan for transportation improvements.
"There is no question as to the need for traffic improvements in the Atlanta region," Boscarino said. "Lots of them. We have crying needs here in Rockdale County. The issue was how the voters want to pay for the improvements, and the question of trust of those who will spend the money for the next 10 years. This Chamber sees the need for improvements clearly, and we look forward to working with elected and business leaders to develop a plan that will move us in the right direction."
Rockdale County Commission Chairman Richard Oden, who had also supported the transportation tax, said he was not surprised by the results of the referendum based on sentiment prior to the election.
"I anticipated that -- the citizens had spoken across the region and in all 10 counties," Oden said Wednesday. "I think other regions passed it, so it is what it is. I'm ready to continue to move forward. My goal will continue to be to drive down our 10 percent unemployment and continue to develop opportunities for economic development and continue to push our community to get job ready."
Don Meyer, a local businessman and vocal opponent of the T-SPLOST, said he supports the idea of a sales tax for transportation but could not support the way in which T-SPLOST was planned and promoted. He said more statesman-like leadership without personal or political agendas was needed to get the referendum passed.
"Anybody who is against just the tax issue is not looking at the whole problem," Meyer said. "We have created a society in America and a civilization that is demanding two things, and our future is going to demand two things -- better utilization of our dollars and smarter leadership in how to utilize those few dollars that we are going to have available in the future."
Meyer said he rallied against "the orchestration and the manipulation" in the way T-SPLOST was presented to voters.
"It's a grand idea; it's an important idea," he said. "There was a lot of forethought and leadership in that, but somewhere along the line someone gave in and compromised their values in the delivery mechanism."
T-SPLOST critics derided the proposal as an unfair tax on the poor that wouldn't deal with the problems of sprawl. Tuesday's vote "shows the power of the people," said Debbie Dooley, Georgia Tea Party Patriots state coordinator and an outspoken opponent of the measure.
"They ran a top-down, PR campaign, whereas we ran a bottom-up, true grassroots political campaign," Dooley said Tuesday. "The people are sending a message, and elected officials would do well to take heed: You aren't getting any more of our tax dollars until you can show you're responsible and can be trusted with the money you have now."
Gov. Nathan Deal said Wednesday that he remains committed to improving transportation in Georgia and will continue to work with state transportation officials, legislators and local officials to prioritize projects that are needed.
"As governor, I aim to make Georgia the No. 1 place in the nation to do business and improving our transportation infrastructure is a major part of that effort," Deal said. "(Tuesday's) vote wasn't an end of the discussion; it's a transition point. We have much to do, and I'll work with state and local officials to direct our limited resources to the most important projects."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More like this story
- For or against -- T-SPLOST draws attention ( July 10, 2012 )
- Rockdale says 'no' to T-SPLOST ( July 31, 2012 )
- Protest against T-SPLOST planned ( July 5, 2012 )
- Region leaders seek unity on transportation ( December 1, 2010 )
- DOT revising Salem Road T-SPLOST description ( June 14, 2012 )
Comments
Elmo 9 months, 3 weeks ago
If MARTA and the other purported thins under TSPLOST were what the people wanted, THEY WOULD HAVE VOTED FOR IT.
If the legislature tries to cram a tax increase down our throats, the it will be time so send their re-election down the same path as TSPLOST.
Politicians need to reign in their own waste before coming back to the taxpayer trough for more.
It takes no class, or education, to spend other peoples' money.
Clark 9 months, 3 weeks ago
But it does take class and education to use a tightly controlled system like a SPLOST rather than just trying to shove through a tax to the general fund with a nonspecific goal of "transportation" like they could have.
The people scream and crow about wanting this that and the other thing all the time, but rarely do they present a plan, and even more rarely, that plan is workable. But when a plan like the T-SPLOST is presented, the people turn around and squak and scream about waste and corruption, and again, no real plans are presented to stop it. Then here comes the misinformation network like the tea party, NAACP, etc. and they use a bunch of lies and somehow sway the few people who actually voted to voting for lies and misinformation believing they are doing the right thing.
So what is the plan to reduce traffic congestion now? Forced evictions to the job centers? More roads? The T-SPLOST had 52% of the funds going directly to transit, which has significantly greater return on investment than roads do, that's 3 billion dollars! That opportunity has never come along, and thanks to the shortsightedness of a small handful of voters will probably NEVER come along again!
Elmo 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Clark, if you really believe all that, then I've got a bridge on Brooklyn I'd like to sell you.
Sundance 9 months, 2 weeks ago
Clark, they need to make a serious effort to stop government waste and decrease social entitlement fraud. As long as the government thinks it is their job to buy food and shelter for it's citizens, I am fighting every tax. It is not the job of government to provide food for us. That is our job. People voting for their food is the reason this country is in such a mess. If they were to drastically cut spending in this area, they could use that money to improve roads that would help all those folks find jobs instead of sucking our blood.
bulldoggie 9 months, 2 weeks ago
shortsightedness of a small handful of voters??? hmm seems to me it was a lot more than that unless you call the majority of the voters a small handful. But thats what the election is all about the majority wins. Looks like the people against were smart enough to vote rather than assuming it was a lock. Try again in 2 years and lets see if people are still smart enough to say spend OUR mone wisely or you are not getting any more
Clark 9 months, 2 weeks ago
37% voter turnout, of which 70% (25.9% of all registered voters) voted no IS a small handful!
buck 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Here's an idea how about we fix GDOT first. Even Gov. Deal has said they are using Enron like accounting schemes. They currently have $1,200,000,000 in uncommitted funding! It's just sitting in the bank!
ClaytonBigsby 9 months, 3 weeks ago
The motor fuel tax hasn't been raised in, well, darn near forever. Say what you will about the DOT, but years of foolish projects like the widenings of US 441 and US 27 in the middle of nowhere, in a program begun by Joe Frank Harris, have ruined their balance sheet. The fuel tax is a true "user fee" type of funding mechanism, and is THE appropriate way to fund road construction. GDOT spent around $700 million on construction in 1988, and the same amount last year, and that's NOT adjusted for inflation. It's time to raise the gas tax, and the good part is that the state Constitution ensures that these funds go where they should--to roads and bridges. Even better is the fact that we have tons of out of state travellers on our interstates to help pay it when they stop to fuel up. The TSPLOST defeat, to the extent it was caused by the project list, simply proves the old maxim that when you try to please everybody, you generally please nobody.
Elmo 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Yeah...that's the ticket, the people just overwhelmingly voted DOWN another tax increase, so let's go thru the back door and INCREASE the fuel tax.
If I want to re-pave my driveway, I have to cut out frivolous spending for a couple of years to afford it, it's a shame the government cant do the same.
Tax...tax...tax, the method of financing government spending sprees.
Atlas will shrug, eventually...
Frustrated 9 months, 3 weeks ago
What happens when gas prices go up by either OPEC or an increased gas tax? People cut back on driving. Less gas is purchased because they cant afford it which means less tax is collected. So whats your plan C Clark?
Elmo 9 months, 3 weeks ago
There's no plan, just rants and innuendo.
Clark 9 months, 3 weeks ago
The only rants and innuendo are coming from you and your fellow tea-party tax-haters, Elmo.
My plan is to NOT raise the gas tax, instead, tax the regions where the transportation is taking place, and route the money into projects only in those regions. Most trips in an area are taken by the people that live in that area, and its the businesses in that area that benefit from those trips, so it should be those people that pay for it. Hrm, this all sounds familiar...but maybe instead of a sales tax, it'll be an income and corporate tax so it can be "progressive" instead of "regressive." Everyone likes a "progressive" plan don't they?
Elmo 9 months, 3 weeks ago
OK, Clark, we wouldn't want to inconvenice your drive to work, so brig it all up in a couple of years and we'll look at it again.
Tea Party? I've never attended their meetings, but I do agree with them that we're taxed enough, actually, too much. That's what the TEA stands for, Taxed Enough Already. But the TEA party didn't defeat your tax folly, the taxpayers did. I'd be willing to bet that 20-percent of those who voted FOR it didn't really understand it, but just thought it was another government hand-out program guaranteeing that MARTA stations would magically spring up in Rockdale in a couple of months and I-20 would be 12 lanes in about three weeks.
Lying to the ignorant does not a master salesman make, to the rest of us, it's just baloney...and we would get stuck paying for your bologna.
Now, it's time for your inner-liberal to surface and start calling me names. You might even play the race card on me, who knows.
Your pipe dream lost for a reason, and looking for a straw man to take the blame isn't going to help you. I'm grateful to the TEA Party, and the NAACP, for their part in defeating this feebly planned fiasco, and I'll join with them the next time it comes up to double-down on the fight to defeat it then.
Now, are you interested in that bridge in Brooklyn, or not? If not, there's one they just built over the Yellow River that I can let you have, cheap!
You sound like the typical, one-track minded, tax-and-spend liberal, or progressive. As an Obama desciple you should know that he's managed to ruin it for all of you.
Clark 9 months, 3 weeks ago
If we're taxed enough, then what services do you want to see cut? Georgia already has about the 5th lowest overall tax rate in this country, and the quality, or rather lack-thereof, of services we receive, reflects that. As low as we are, just about EVERYTHING is going to cost more taxes. Drug testing welfare recipients? That'll cost. Actively policing and investigating governmental waste? That'll cost too. Most of the people that actually voted against it were probably people who didn't really understand. I can't even begin to count how many times I had to tell someone that transit funding made up more of the plan than road funding, or how much of the money was actually coming back to their area.
Unlike the tea party, NAACP, and you, I actually used data, regulations, and solid facts to back up my arguments rather than the straw-man arguments them and you used to defeat this measure.
ClaytonBigsby 9 months, 2 weeks ago
I'd postulate that Clark doesn't advocate a motor fuel tax increase because that revenue can't be used for boutique items like the "Beltline" and for subsidies to transit. Boo hoo.
Clark 9 months, 2 weeks ago
Primarily it's because of the reason Elmo mentioned, higher gas prices mean less people driving, means less gas tax revenue. If you, Clayton, are so against taxes, then how do you propose we do get good transit in place? Even if everyone lived close to their job, you'd still have a need to get them to the job, or to the store, or to the airport. But that still won't solve the problem of so many people not currently living near their jobs. We can't deal in fantasy land where "you can just move near your job," we have to deal in reality and the reality is that we need effective transit to get people where they need to go!
ClaytonBigsby 9 months, 2 weeks ago
I am not against taxes. The motor fuel tax in Georgia hasn't been raised since 1971. It is past time it was increased. There also needs to be an instrument to tap revenue from road users who do not pay fuel excise taxes (read: bicyclists). As for transit; well, fuel taxes aren't going to help that cause a bit. I'd suggest they charge fares that are closer to the cost of providing the service. The same goes for airlines--subsidies need to be cut way back. There is a buck to be made hauling people--railroads and airlines did it for decades, and so did streetcars and the streetcar/railroad hybrid known as the "interurban". Just let the market price the service, for cryin' out loud! So there you go Clark--I AM in favor of increased taxes, as we desperately need safer roads with higher capacity.
Clark 9 months, 2 weeks ago
Railroads never made much money from hauling people, there just wasn't a better way to move people long distances quickly until the airlines (which have rarely been required to operate subsidy-free since at least the fifties) . Interurbans also made most of their money hauling freight usually. But that's besides the point, back when they operated, cars were a rarity, they aren't today. Costs are also higher for a variety of reasons. Plus, there are very very few transit providers that pull a true profit, and none are in this country so it's completely unfair and inappropriate that we should expect Atlanta to be any different (MARTA is the 8th most used transit system, with the 8th most passenger boardings per mile, and 8th in cost recovery in the country).
You seem to want people to "pay their way," well that's what the T-SPLOST would have done. Probably less than 1% of the people paying the extra 1% tax would never use any of the infrastructure they were paying for, or never benefit from it. But the benefits aren't simply less congestion. Less congestion and more transit options make cities more attractive to higher-end businesses, which have more jobs open for local graduates, who settle in the area, and spend money on higher-cost "luxury" goods because they can afford it, so service-oriented and retail businesses do better. The benefits aren't overnight of course as transit projects don't appear out of nowhere when a referendum passes, and businesses don't move in the next day, but it's a long-term investment.
Bicyclists in Georgia hardly make up enough traffic to justify trying to tax them, and even that would disappear as people would "just drive" instead of paying bicycle taxes. A better option would be to try and tax pedestrians, but that would only work in very high density ares like downtown Atlanta, and again, collection becomes a problem. Another option is the trucks and out of state drivers, but the privileges and immunities clause, and the commerce clause (Congress has exclusive jurisdiction over interstate commerce) will pose obstacles to that. The best option is simply tax the people that benefit from the services you provide, the tax payers in the region. Either an income tax or sales tax (sales tax ensures visitors pay part) is the best, and fairest way to collect a regional transportation tax.
Elmo 9 months, 2 weeks ago
If gas goes up, people will drive less. Like tobacco, the raised the tobacco tax, and people quit in droves, now the government is whining about not getting enough tobacco tax money.
People not only vote at the polls, the also vote with their feet, and with their wallets.
A sales tax, however, affects everything people buy, and TSPLOST would be just another tax piled on top of all the other taxes we have to pay already. Then, coming soon to a country like ours, obamacare and all of its inherent taxes. People- unlike governments - have to plan ahead for things like that. We're moving to a time when every penny counts to survive, even your precious TSPLOST penny. Taxes a cumulative, and we got where we are now by the govt inching it up, a penny at a time...it has to stop somewhere.
TSPLOST was the straw that broke the camel's back. We're tired of the giant sucking sound from irresponsible governments continually coming up with new gimmicks to help themselves to our hard-earned money.
As a person who lived in Rockdale BEFORE there even as an I-20, I can attest that traffic is directly proportional to the number of lanes.
Now, most of us aren't going to the courthouse to take our vote back, so you need to read the Serinity Prayer, 'Please grant us the ability to change the things we can, to accept the things we can't, and the wisdom to know the difference".
Frustrated 9 months, 3 weeks ago
my mistake I meant that to be Clayton. Sorry Clark
Sundance 9 months, 2 weeks ago
Clark let me put it to you like this, The polititians behind the SPLOST vote reminds me of kids who have wasted their money and want more. It's like if your kid in college blows all his money on beer and says, "but Dad, now I dont have any money for books. Dont you want me to be able to buy my books?" You would say, "Son, I gave you money for books and you chose to spend it on something else. now you work it out." We just sent the same message to our government. They have given away millions to poor people for food, housing, and medical when that is not their job. It IS the job of the government to maintain roads though. Just like the college kid, they have used their road money to buy votes from poor people. And in some cases, that money actually went to buy beer through EBT abuse. I predict this country will start drastically improving if they learn their lesson on this one.
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