2012 Atlanta Region Transportation Referendum (Tucker: 2014, license, rail)

[atltechdude]

Originally Posted by arjay57

The TIA is catching it from all sides.

DeKalb NAACP calls transportation tax 'racist' | Atlanta News & Opinion Blog | Fresh Loaf | Creative Loafing Atlanta

Absurd.

[cqholt]

The $225 million for I-20 line could lure federal dollars for a full HRT or LRT build-out. If MARTA does extend the Blue Line, then the DeKalb NAACP has nothing to complain about.

[Mossberg]

I'm black and even "I" wish that these idiots would ****! They are getting on my nerves claiming racism on every personal agenda that they don't get their way on.

The Tax will be good for the region as a whole.......period. Everyone should benefit from it in direct and even indirect ways.

It kills me that many folks (not just the NAACP and tea baggers) are willing to kill a decade worth of NEEDED projects because they don't get their way on a SINGLE project they want. This is short-sighted thinking at its best.

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by cqholt

The $225 million for I-20 line could lure federal dollars for a full HRT or LRT build-out. If MARTA does extend the Blue Line, then the DeKalb NAACP has nothing to complain about.

I like the opticism, but in reality that amount won't make a corridor that long and that expensive competitive for a large amount of federal money.

All of our transit projects are designed to be competitive for federal money (part of the reason a successful project takes 10 years of studies first). This means our stronger applications (heavily funded) will beat out our own weak applications every time.

The issue I have is this is just a single 10-year tax that we are using to build projects that are on long-term planning goals (typically 30-50 years).

We can't build everything in 10 years, but we can over 30-50 years.

If the people in southeast Dekalb vote this down just because they don't get everything they want now, then they are making it considerably harder for them to get what they want in 20 years if not 10.

The money for the projects not getting full funding, which also includes Gwinnett, Cobb, and the north line extension are designed to make the projects shovel ready, as well as buy land that would make building the project in the future much more expensive.

so ultimately a no vote is a vote against the project they want, they just aren't going to get it fast as they want either way.

And again... I have to take exception to this guy continually saying Dekalb and Fulton pays and the others don't.

I'm from Gwinnett and one thing I know is while we haven't paid into MARTA (and haven't gotten MARTA service in turn), we have been paying into a county sales tax that has built much of our newly growing road network. We have a much stronger arterial and secondary road network, than Dekalb has, including what other people from other counties can access when they drive into the county. I know this doesn't solve the ultimate road vs transit debate in peoples minds, but we -have- been paying for transportation.

The other issue I simply wish this guy would realize. Dekalb is getting its fair share. In other words they are getting back more than the revenue they generate, especially with the Emory/Clifton project. I know some in Southeast Dekalb might not like losing to that corridor, but as someone outside Dekalb County I have to say Dekalb is already getting its fair share. All of the other 9 counties are paying into this and all 9 deserve to get back what they pay in.

This is the number 1 argument I'm trying to push to people.

If someone lives in a small county on the fringe and thinks this is just paying for transit far away from them, then we can say no your county's share of the revenue should be this: and here is what your county is getting. Don't vote against transit on the other side of the metro (that is being funded by them), vote for what your region's share goes to.

I realize that won't make this guy happy, but the guy is going after the other counties in his flier... not so much his own county's choices. There isn't enough money from this tax for Dekalb to get both major projects in one go.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by neil0311

...
The issue in NYC is really supply and demand and what you have in many cases are people who shack up with their parents or with multiple roommates in order to afford to live in the city. Other times you have people who cannot move out of the home they have owned for 30 years or out of their rent controlled or rent stabilized apartment. To do so would mean a huge increase in costs.

Very true.

[cqholt]

we have been paying into a county sales tax that has built much of our newly growing road network. We have a much stronger arterial and secondary road network, than Dekalb has, including what other people from other counties can access when they drive into the county.

The MARTA tax is paid by Fulton and DeKalb goes to a regional transit agency, not just a county fund. While Gwinnett does have better arterial network, that has caused the horrible traffic congestion that plagues the county now. MARTA was created to serve the 5 counties, but only 2 approved so the state legislature never went back and re-wrote bill. You cannot compare roads to transit, as transit moves a lot more people, more efficient.
I agree that the Gwinnett and Cobb lines money, this round, will make them competitive for federal funding. It also, sets up the next TIA to be voted after the 1st TIA expires in 2022 or after $8.5 billion in tax revenue is collected. The TIA is a way for us the people to decide if we want to solve the transportation problems by taxing ourselves, since our representatives are too scared to do something themselves.
As for the long-term, this is just the 1st TIA in a line of 10-year taxes that the people HAVE to approve. MARTA already has projects for the next round, eg: Perimeter LRT Line.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by cwkimbro

I'm from Gwinnett and one thing I know is while we haven't paid into MARTA ...

Actually Gwinnettians have pumped huge amounts of money into the MARTA hopper. The sales tax applies to everyone who buy things in Fulton and DeKalb, not just to the folks who live there.

[jpatlanta]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Actually Gwinnettians have pumped huge amounts of money into the MARTA hopper. The sales tax applies to everyone who buy things in Fulton and DeKalb, not just to the folks who live there.

That brings up an interesting point, sales tax is or was higher in Fulton and Dekalb yet the most successful and expensive malls and shops are also in these counties and are doing better than the ones in other counties............not paying the 1% has made little if any difference to the counties that didn't spend the money.......... other than the fact they have no train system.

[cqholt]

That brings up an interesting point, sales tax is or was higher in Fulton and Dekalb yet the most successful and expensive malls and shops are also in these counties and are doing better than the ones in other counties............not paying the 1% has made little if any difference to the counties that didn't spend the money.......... other than the fact they have no train system.

Interesting facts there. The most popular malls are found in the urban counties and the 3 Perimeter, Lenox, and Philips are in proximity to MARTA. An extra 1% means very little to most people. There are some who refuse or try to not purchase products in Fulton or DeKalb to get around a little 1% sales tax. Interesting that Fulton and DeKalb get more tourist than the suburban counties. That could influence the

[jpatlanta]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Interesting facts there. The most popular malls are found in the urban counties and the 3 Perimeter, Lenox, and Philips are in proximity to MARTA. An extra 1% means very little to most people. There are some who refuse or try to not purchase products in Fulton or DeKalb to get around a little 1% sales tax. Interesting that Fulton and DeKalb get more tourist than the suburban counties. That could influence the

I can't see anyone caring about 1% but maybe I live in a bubble