MARTA to make an $8 billion pitch to change the face of Atlanta (Sandy Springs: subdivisions, best)

[Airforceguy]

It looks like an agreement has been reached when it comes to the two MARTA bills...

The Problem of the Two MARTA Bills was resolved Monday during a private gathering of the state Senate Republican caucus.

You’ll recall that SB 313, the rail expansion bill dropped by Brandon Beach, R-Alpharetta, was accidentally sent to the State and Local Government Operations Committee, chaired by rail skeptic John Albers, R-Roswell.Your daily jolt on politics from the AJC's Political insider blog

Albers refused to remand the bill. And so Beach created a second, nearly identical bill – SB 330. Which is now in the Senate Transportation Committee.

Faced with a floor fight over the issue that he stood a good chance of losing (Democrats were prepared to line up behind Beach), Albers has now conceded the point. But at this price:

— Today’s 2 p.m. SLO-GO hearing on SB 313 will proceed, after which the bill will be remanded to the Senate Transportation Committee;

— and Albers will hold an ex officio seat on the transportation committee while it is considering that particular bill.

We’re told there was a “side agreement” that may be more important than either of the two concessions above. The MARTA rail bill will be subject to the “Hastert rule” — i.e., it must receive the majority approval of the Senate Republican caucus before a vote by the full chamber can be held.

Beach has scheduled a 1 p.m. press conference at the “northern end of the first floor” of the Capitol, presumably to discuss the agreement.

Agreement reached in Senate’s ‘two MARTA rail bills’ problem | Political Insider blog

[sumitsu]

The replacement bill (SB 330) is supposed to go before the Transportation Committee tomorrow (Thursday). According to the Senate calendar, the meeting is at 3pm: Meeting Notices

The original bill (SB 313) apparently wasn't voted on in SLO-GO yesterday, but that might have been by design, as part of the deal Senator Beach made with Senator Albers.

[toll_booth]

Well...it's not completely dead yet, then...

[Airforceguy]

State Rep. Pedro Marin (D-Duluth) is asking Gwinnett County commissioners to hold public forums to gauge residents’ interest in joining MARTA and to add the matter to the November 2016 ballot if residents indicate they do want to join.
Marin says traffic on Interstate 85 hurts Gwinnett and that the county needs rapid transit. Commuter rail is of particular interest to Marin, reports Gwinnett Daily Post.The lawmaker spent time Wednesday discussing his decision last month to introduce House Resolution 1033, which is co-signed by other Democrats in the Gwinnett legislative delegation, that asks county officials to gauge residents’ interest in the public transit system, the Gwinnett paper reports.

“What I’m urging the commissioners and what I’m urging Gwinnettians (to do) is to keep having the conversation about the issue of rapid transit going to Gwinnett,” Marin said Wednesday. “I know we’ll have several people who will say ‘No,’ but those people are mainly rural Gwinnett. (In) the area that I represent, I need it badly and my constituents need it badly.”

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/m...-gwinnett.html

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by Airforceguy

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/m...-gwinnett.html

Good, I hope they keep pushing and talking about it.

[sumitsu]

Apparently the original MARTA-expansion bill (SB 313) has been recommitted to the Transportation Committee (where Senator Beach wanted it in the first place):

https://twitter.com/GASenatePress/st...18010019561472

I guess that means that the "replacement" bill (SB 330) is no longer needed?

No meeting of the Transportation Committee today, though:

https://twitter.com/GASenatePress/st...42902949634049

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by sumitsu

Apparently the original MARTA-expansion bill (SB 313) has been recommitted to the Transportation Committee (where Senator Beach wanted it in the first place):

https://twitter.com/GASenatePress/st...18010019561472

I guess that means that the "replacement" bill (SB 330) is no longer needed?

No meeting of the Transportation Committee today, though:

https://twitter.com/GASenatePress/st...42902949634049

They are two different bills. SB 230 is written a bit differently, with more about zone laws.

[cqholt]

Gold Dome Arguments Heat Up Over MARTA Expansion - Transit Talk - Curbed Atlanta

[Airforceguy]

At Tuesday’s meeting of Fulton’s mayors and county commissioners, the various political leaders moved a step closer to consensus – with the exception of Alpharetta Mayor David Belle Isle.They voted to support legislation that will be presented later today by Georgia Sen. Brandon Beach (R-North Fulton) to draft a referendum that would allow residents in Atlanta, Fulton, DeKalb and Clayton to increase the MARTA sales tax by up to another half penny.

The legislation would leave the door open for Atlanta to pass half a penny for MARTA for the next 40 years and half a penny for a T-Splost for the next five years.
Fulton County outside of Atlanta could then pass a T-Splost of 75 percent of a penny for the next five years with MARTA getting 25 percent of that penny. After five years, the Fulton share for MARTA would go to 50 percent for the next 35 years.

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/n...consensus.html

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by Airforceguy

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/n...consensus.html

Some pretty significant transit expansions inside the city limits better be coming and not just 400N extention if CoA is picking up a larger share of this tax. Hopefully getting Streetcar / Beltline transit going.